(tIPID 


MARPLOT    CUPID 


MARPLOT    CUPID 


WITH  JL  L 1TS  TRA  TION8 


BY 

FRANK   T.  MERRILL 


SECOND    EDITION 


BOSTON 

W.     B.     CLARKE     &     CARRUTH 

No.  340  WASHINGTON  STREET 

1883 


Copyright,  1883. 

JY  W.  B.  CLARKE  &  CARRUTH. 
All  rig /its  reserved . 


Rockwell    and    Churchill,    Printers,    39    Arch    St.,    Boston. 


MARPLOT    CUPID. 


CHAPTER  I. 


"  Oh,  who  can  light  on  as  happy  a  shore 
All  the  world  o'er,  all  the  world  o'er!  " 


Y  the  words  rang  out  on  the   afternoon 
air,  as    Kate   Sturgis,  in  her  picturesque  boat, 
rounded  one  of  the  many  curves  of  a  small  lake 
some  twenty  or  thirty  miles  from  Boston. 

The  voice  must  have  possessed  a  charm,  if  one 
could  judge  from  the  face  of  the  noble  Irish  setter 
seated  in  the  bow,  with  gaze  riveted  upon  his  mistress 
as  if  loath  to  lose  a  syllable  from  her  lips.  It  was  cer- 
tainly sweet  enough  to  arouse  the  ambition  of  a  rival, 
and  from  the  thick  woods,  guarding  the  lake  like  an 
austere  sentinel,  so  bewitching  an  echo  floated  back, 
that  the  girl  rested  on  her  oar  to  listen,  while  "  Major  " 
turned  with  a  jealous  growl,  his  loyal  soul  illy  brooking 
the  impertinence.  With  a  series  of  bounds,  which 

2061753 


2  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

boded  peril  to  the  light  bout,  the  dog  prepared  to 
plunge  in  pursuit. 

"  Down,  charge  !" 

With  u  low  cry  of  disappointment  the  dog  crouched, 
casting  a  look  of  reproach  toward  his  mistress. 

"Bad  dog!  See  what  you've  done, — look  at  my 
flowers,  crushed  and  spoiled  !  Is  this  the  way  you  fulfil 
your  trust?  Why,.  Major,  you  are  no  better  than  the 
mongrel  Tige  up  at  the  stable  !  Who  Avould  imagine 
that  you  lay  claim  to  a  noble  ancestry?  Ah,  Major, 
remember  —  Noblesse  oblige!  Noblesse  obli</c.'  " 

At  the  last  words  the  dog's  mien  changed  from  the 
sudden  self-abasement ;  he  arose  proudly,  and,  with  a 
mute  appeal  for  pardon,  resumed  his  position  in  the 
bow  with  grave  dignity. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  boat  reached  shore,  and, 
springing  lightly  out,  Kate  extended  her  hand  to  the 
dusky  figure  waiting  to  deliver  a  package  of  letters. 

"You  have  a  generous  mail,  Tony,"  she  said  pleas- 
antly. 

"Yas,  miss,"  the  old  servant  answered,  touching  his 
hat;  "'pears  like  writ  in' come  easy  t' some  fokes  !  Ise 
fur  tak-n  de  streme  lib'ty  dis  yere  'ticular  'casion, 
t'  respect  de  cases,  an'  Ise  deserve  in  de  corner  of  dis 
yere,  f  Forrard  megitly,'  —  so  I  done  tote  um  long  pose 
mortem." 

Kate  took  the  letters  with  a  smile,  gave  the  flower- 
basket  to  Major,  anil,  while  quickening  her  pace  through 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  3 

the  orchard  lane,  broke  the  seal  of  the  thickest  of  the 
letters.  A  slightly  anxious  look  flitted  over  her  face 
as  she  ran  her  eye  hastily  down  the  first  page,  but  it 
vanished  ahjiost  directly,  and  she  was  about  to  dive 
further  into  the  labyrinth  of  crossed  lines,  when  she 
checked  herself,  and  replaced  the  letter  in  its  envelope. 

ft  No,  I  won't  be  so  selfish  as  to  read  the  primal  fresh- 
ness away  by  myself !  Dear  little  mamma  is  as  much 
interested  in  my  plan  as  I,  myself;  so,  Major,  drown  your 
curiosity,  and  we'll  hasten  in  search  of  a  sympathetic 
ear." 

Mrs.  Sturgis,  with  "  Century"  in  hand,  was  ensconc- 
ing herself  in  one  of  several  hammocks,  hanging  in  so-- 
ciable  proximity  from  a  group  of  elms,  when  Kate's 
eager  face  confronted  her. 

"My  dear  child,"  she  exclaimed,  "why  do  you  rush 
along  at  such  a  speed  on  a  day  like  this?  You  look 
quite  flushed." 

"  And  have  I  not  a  right  to  look  flushed,  mamma 
dear,  after  all  my  dark  forebodings?  The  letters  are 
here,  and  the  girls  are  really  coining.  This  is  what 
Chipie  says;  and,  without  waiting  for  a  response,  Kate 
reopened  her  letter,  and  read  :  — 

KATKIXA.  STUIIGIS  :  —  You  are  a  gem!  Only  a  gem  could 
emit  the  rays  of  brightness  Avhieh  are  now  Avarming  into  new 
life  two  grateful  hearts,  at  least.  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  us 
while  we  were  reading  your  letter,  for  you  would  have  realized 
our  appreciation  of  your  dear  self.  Every  feature  in  our  posses- 


4  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

sion,  from  Madge's  beloved  nose  up  to  my  waviest  wave,  fairly 
trembled  with  joy.  It  was  droll  that  your  letter  came  just  as  it 
did  !  Mamma  and  papa  were  away.  We  girls  had  been  making 
calls  all  the  afternoon,  and  were  too  tired  to  do  anything  but  give 
ourselves  up  to  a  fine,  gossipy  evening  together,  a  pouring  vain 
having  shut  out  the  possibility  of  visitors.  Having  decided  that 
it  was  quite  time  to  make  up  our  minds  as  to  our  summer  flitting, 
we  were  asking  each  other, 

"  To  what  haven  of  rest  shall  we  flit:'  " 

Everything  proposed  seemed  distasteful.  The  Campbells  had 
invited  us  to  visit  them  at  Newport,  and  Flossy  says  she  will 
never  forgive  us  if  Ave  don't  join  them  at  Swampscott  'this  year. 
Harold  Kennard  and  his  cousins  are  to  be  there,  it  seems,  and 
attractive  enough  it  will  be,  I  suppose,  to  one  craving  more 
of  winter  festivity;  but,  you  see,  neither  Madge  nor  myself 
covet  anything  of  the  kind  this  summer.  We  did  our  duty 
by  society  last  winter,  and  now,  tired  and  worn,  we  sigh 
only  for  quiet.  In  the  midst  of  our  questionings  Madge  sud- 
denly visioued  an  oasis,  and  exclaimed,  "  O  Chipie,  if  Aunt 
Paulien  would  only  invite  us  up  to  beautiful  old  Chavenage!" 
Hardly  had  the  words  escaped  her  when  your  letter  was  brought 
in.  Papa  thinks  that  the  idea  of  we  girls,  with  Saratogas,  accept- 
ing an  invitation  to  Chavenage  for  the  whole  summer  preposter- 
ous !  He  throws  out  grave  insinuations  as  to  the  effect  upon  Aunt 
Paulien's  nerves :  but  I  know  that  he  is  actuated  by  a  sad  spirit  of 
envy,  and  would  gladly  join  us,  even  uninvited,  were  his  summer 
plans  not  alread}*  made.  He  and  mamma  intend  taking  a  moun- 
tain ramble,  and,  to  own  the  truth,  Madge  and  myself  are  a  trifle 
out  of  favor  because  AVC  decline  lending  the  light  of  our  counte- 
nance- to  the  jaunt. 

But  to  return  to  the  letter.  Your  delicious  invitation  we  ac- 
cept with  glowing  hearts,  and  you  may  expect  to  see  our  win- 
some faces  smiling  our  gratitude  from  the  Saxony  Station,  at 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  5 

four  o'clock  P.  M.,  Tuesday  next.  By  the  way,  is  the  little  man 
with  the  laded  green  wig  stall  ticket-master?  You  will  remem- 
ber that  I  always  took  a  deep  interest  in  that  wig !  But  no 
more;  —  conversational  topics  are  so  limited  wlien  we  meet,  that 
I  think  it  wise  to  economize  now. 

With  love  from  Madge,  and 

Your  affectionate  cousin, 

Cini'iE  MARGRAVE. 


When  Kate  finished  the  letter,  she  tossed  it  trium- 
phantly into  the  air,  and  seated  herself  opposite  Mrs. 
Sturgis. 

"Aren't  you  glad,  mamma?" 

"  Yes,  Kate,  I  am  very  glad,  for  I  confess  I  was  be- 
ginning to  fear  lest  a  disappointment  were  in  store  for 
you.  You  have  thought  so  much  of  your  little  plan." 

"Yes,  I  couldn't  have  brooked  a  disappointment,  for 
it  is  such  a  pleasure  to  think  of  all  being  together  just 
as  when  we  were  little.  It  will  be  delightful  to  forget 
that  we  are  grown  up,  and  I  am  so  glad  that  there  will 
be  nobody  to  interrupt  our  freedom.  You  don't  think 
that  it  Avill  be  dull  for  them,  mamma?" 

"  I  should  suppose  that  six  young  people  might  make 
Chavenagc  endurable  for  a  summer,"  answered  Mrs. 
Sturgis,  with  a  smile.  "  The  girls  know  what  there  is 
to  depend  upon  for  enjoyment,  and  they  have  chosen.'' 

"Yes,"  responded  Kate,  "the  chief  inducements 
which  I  held  out  were  freedom,  rest,  and  harmony  of 


6  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

spirit ;  so  the  dear  girls  can't  accuse  me  of  inveigling 
them  into  solitude  under  false  pretences,  if  they  find  it 
more  monotonous  than  romantic.  But  I  haven't  a  fear 
about  Chipie, —  she  has  a  good  time  wherever  she  is, 
and,  after  all,  the  only  thing  which  Saxony  lacks  is  — 
people;  and,  if  one  has  people  two-thirds  of  the  year,  I 
am  sure  one  ought  to  be  able  to  do  without  them  the 
other  third." 

Kate  opened  her  remaining  letters,  reading  on  with- 
out comment  until  she  came  to  a  tiny  blue  sheet  in 
childish  chirography.  ''This  is  from  Winny,"  she 
exclaimed,  with  a  laugh.  "The  darling  is  enraptured, 
of  course,  at  the  thought  of  coming,  and  will  be  here 
with  the  girls.  She  says,  'How  can  anybody  like 
fashionable  summer  places,  such  as  sister  Helen  always 
goes  to,  better  than  darling  old  Chavenage,  with  its  rare 
woods  and  parks,  and  lakes,  and  fairy  hiding-places 
everywhere?'  Bless  her  sensible  little  soul,  how  can 
anybody?  I  am  sure,  mamma,  that  anyone  who  would 
decline  summering  amongst  my  trees  and  lane-;  and 
ponds,  in  favor  of  anything  more  artificial,  is  to  be 
pitied  and  prayed  for;  is  it  not  so,  mamma?" 

Mrs.  Sturgis  smiled  indulgently.  "I  am  glad," 
she  said,  "  that  droll  old  Saxony  has  such  a  loyal  lover 
in  my  girlie." 


CHAPTER   H. 

IS'  KATE  !  Mis'  Kate  !  I  specs  Ise  jis  'bout 
ruined  my  rep'tation  dis  time  for  shu  !  Yah 
says  call  yah  promp'  at  half-pas'  five,  an'  now 
it  done  be  mo.s'  six.'' 

With  this  conscience-stricken  announcement,  black 
Princess  rapped  lustily  upon  Kate's  door,  as  if  to  make 
up  in  energy  for  lack  of  punctuality. 

"  Vi'let  say  Ise  a  lazy  little  nigger,"  she  continued 
volubly,  "an'  it  done  be  all  her  own  fault,  anyhow,  Mis' 
Kate  f" 

"Well,  Princess,"  answered  Kate,  who  had  listened 
with  amusement  to. the  alarmed  voice  of  the  little 
waiting-maid,  "fortunately  I  happened  to  wake  up 
without  any  help  this  morning,  and  I  am  almost  ready 
to  start.  Dress  yourself  for  a  long,  wet  walk,  and 
don't  forget  your  rubbers.  We  shall  find  everything 
dripping  with  dew  at  this  early  hour.  Now  run  quickly 
and  do  not  keep  me  waiting,  for  we  must  get  back  before 
breakfast." 

"Yas,  Mis'  Kate,  I  isn't  gwine  t'done  keep  yah 
wait'n  dis  yere  time  ! "  and  the  comical  little  figure  flew 


8  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

downstairs,  murmuring  to  herself  like  a  magpie,  after 
the  fashion  of  her  kind. 

Presently  Kate  appeared,  dressed  in  a  blue  boating- 
suit,  and  armed  with  baskets  and  keys.  She  was  evi- 
dently in  high  spirits,  and  poured  forth  her  gladness  in 
a  ripple  of  song. 

"Ise  reckon  yah  mighty  'joyced  bout  yah  comp'ny. 
Mis'  Kate,"  exclaimed  Princess,  as  she  took  charge  of 
the  baskets.  "  Peai's  like  yah  seem  so." 

"Yes,  indeed,  Princess,"  Kate  answered  merrily. 
"  We  are  going  to  make  Chavenage  a  very  gay  place 
after  to-day.  You  will  think  you  are  back  in  Washing- 
ton, and  you  must  do  your  part  towards  making  the 
visit  a  pleasant  one  by  being  very  thoughtful  and  at- 
tentive to  the  young  ladies." 

"Yas,  Mis'  Kate.  I  specks  yah'll  hav'  right  high 
times  !  Yi'let  her  say  she  done  reckon  I'm  gwine  t'  hav' 
in'  hands  full  a  trot-n  fur  de  young  leddies  ;  but  I  telled 
her  ef  deys  like  Mis'  Kate,  Ise  no  'jections." 

"You  must  remember  Miss  Chipie,  I  think,"  said 
Kate.  "She  was  in  Washington  with  my  aunt  hist 
winter." 

"O  Mis' Kate,  are  Mis' Chipie  gwine  t'be  one  ob  de 
comp'ny?"  cried  Princess,  her  dusky  eyes  opening 
wide  with  delight.  f'  Her  is  jes  splendid,  an'  Ise  won- 
der will  her  'member  me,  cause  Ise  ust  t'  button  her 
gloves  an'  lace  her  dresses  and  eberyting.  Her  ust  t'  gib 
me  heaps  ob  rib-ns  an'  pennies,  an'  twice  her  guv  me 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  9 

some  Ion0"  white  gloves  wi'  fourteen  buttons  onto  um, 

O  O 

an'  I  went  out  onto  Pensylvany  jivnoo  an'  Avore  um 
when  Madam  done  know  nuffin'  whar  Ise  gone.  I'd 
have  um  now,  ony  ole  Abe  Lincoln  —  ole  nigger  !  — he 
cotched  me  an'  tored  oft'  four  fingers  of  um  jes'  cause*  he 
done  hav'  none  hisself.  Dat's  jes'  like  dese  common 
niggars,  Mis'  Kate  !  " 

Kate  smiled,  and  presently  Princess  went  on  :  — 

"Oh,  my!  but  didn't  her  look  jes'  magnificent  when 
her  stepped  into  de  corridge  fur  de  porties  !  An'  when 
Madam  ud  hav'de  porties  and  'ceptions  an'  all  dem  ah, 
de  house  ud  be  packed  full  ob  sech  splendid  gemmcn 
an'  leddies,  but  dey  didn't  none  of  um  done  beat  my 
Mis'  Chipie,  cause  Ise  whar  I  could  peek  round  an' 
see  um  all,  whar  Madam  couldn't  cotch  sight  ob  me. 
I  seen  sech  heaps  ob  swell  gemmen  in  white  leather 
gloves,  an'  coats  datdone  hav'  no  corners  to  um,  a  bow- 
in'  an'  curtsy-n'  to  Mis'  Chipie,  an'  I  tinks  how  I  help 
dress  her — me  an'  Virginny  —  in  dem  shiny  trail 
dresses,  an'  I  gits  a  right  big  heap  ob  satisfaction  out  ob 
it." 

How  long  the  glowing  reminiscences  would  have 
continued  is  uncertain,  for  the  theme  was  apparently 
a  fruitful  one  ;  but,  the  boat-house  being  reached,  all 
attention  was  devoted  to  getting  the  boat  out,  and  then 
to  deciding  where  to  go  first. 

''  We  will  go  directly  to  the  beech-grove,"  said  Kate, 
as  they  pushed  off;  "and  while  I  am  getting  the  wild 


IO  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

smilax,  you,  Princess,  may  fill  the  smaller  basket  with 
Solomon's  seal  and  partridge-berries.  I  want  to 
make  the  house  into  a  real  woodland  bower.  Now 
we  will  see  how  much  we  can  accomplish  in  the  next 
two  hours." 

They  applied  themselves  zealously  to  ferreting  out 
the  largest  berries,  the  deepest  violets,  and  the  most 
delicate  ferns  ;  and  when,  later,  they  turned  towards 
home,  the  fragrant  burden  of  blossoms  and  trailing 
vines,  under  which  they  almost  tottered,  showed  that  the 
time  had  been  employed  to  some  purpose. 

It  was  a  little  after  the  breakfast  hour  when  Kate, 
having  exchanged  her  boating  suit  for  a  cool  white 
linen,  entered  the  breakfast  room.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sturgis  were  slowly  sipping  their  chocolate,  but  sip- 
ping it  with  a  long  interval  between  each  sip,  out  of 
regard  for  Kate,  whose  whereabouts  they  were  en- 
deavoring to  conjecture  at  the  moment  of  her  appear- 
ance. 

"Katrina,"  was  Mr.  Sturgis's  greeting,  in  a  tone 
half  playful,  half  earnest,  "I  have  a  bone  to  pick  with 
you  !  " 

"Well,  papa,  I'm  quite  hungry  enough  to  begin  at 
once.  My  long  tramp  has  made  the  thought  of  even 
so  frugal  a  dejeuner  tempting." 

"  Katrina,  I  regret  that  you  hunger  after  a  bone  of 
contention.  Your  tongue  would  doubtless  find  refresh- 
ment in  it ;  but  'tis  a  weakening  diet,  which  I  pray  you 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  II 

avoid.  Xow,  my  dear,"  turning  to  Mrs.  Sturgis, 
rt  won't  you  give  Katrina  her  coffee,  that  silence  may  be 
insured  while  I  admonish  a  bit?" 

"Why,  papa,  you  look  savage!  What  have  I  been 
doing  to  deserve  such  menacing  glances  ?  " 

"  You  shall  hear.  Unless  my  memory  plays  me 
false,  my  fair  and  only  daughter  exacted  a  promise 
from  me  to  make  a  grand  finale  to  our  morning  rides 
by  going  over  to  Ashley  this  morning.  Accord- 
ingly"- 

"  O  papa,  I  forgot  "  — 

"  Wait,  —  wait,  —  I  am  speaking  !  Accordingly  the 
horses  were  saddled  at  the  time  agreed  upon,  and 
they  and  I  waited — patiently,  of  course  —  for  this  ve- 
racious daughter  to  present  herself.  How  long  we 
waited  it  is  unnecessary  to  state  ;  but  finally  my  sus- 
picions were  aroused,  and  I  undertook  to  investigate 
matters." 

"  Oh,  spare  me,  I  beg  !  "  cried  Kate,  with  laughing 
mortification.  "  What  can  I  say  to  excuse  my  careless 
forgetfulness  ?  I "  — 

"My  dear,  is  Kate's  cup  empty?"  broke  in  Mr.  Stur- 
gis, again  turning  to  his  wife ;  and  then  he  continued, 
his  brows  contracted,  "  I  sent  to  your  room,  and  found 
that  you  and  the  black  imp  had  started  off»on  some  ex- 
pedition,— the  land  knows  where,  —  while  I  was  left  to 
my  own  happy  reflections  and  a  solitary  trot.  Katrina, 
I  came  very  near  losing  my  temper." 


12  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

"I'm  delighted  that  you  did  not,"  responded  Kate, 
mischievously,  "  for  now  you  can  temper  your  remarks 
to  me,  and  spare  me  further  humiliation.  But  truly, 
papa,  I  do  beg  your  pardon  !  My  only  excuse  is  that 
the  arrivals  of  to-day  have  filled  my  mind  and  crowded 
everything  else  out.  I  am  ashamed  to  confess  how  en- 
tirely I  forgot  my  promise.  But  shall  you  miss  our 
morning  rides  together  very  much  ?  " 

"  I  missed  this  one,"  was  the  laconic  answer. 

"  I  wish  you  would  invite  Chipie  to  ride  with  you, 
mornings,  papa  !  It  would  be  such  fun  for  her  and  for 
you,  too  !  You  need  not  have  a  fear  of  being  deserted 
if  you  issue  invitations  !  We  girls  are  all  very  proud 
of  you,  with  your  lovely  white  side-whiskers  and  mus- 
taches !  You  look  so  like  a  grand  general  when  you 
are  mounted  on  black  Brutus,  that  AVC  always  feel  the 
spirit  of  Joan  of  Arc  rise  within  us  as  we  prance  along 
by  your  side." 

"Ah,  thank  you  !  I'm  glad  to  learn  that  the  general 
impression  which  I  make  is  so  inspiring!"  Then,  ad- 
dressing Mrs.  Sturgis,  "  What  took  Grove  off  this 
morning  in  such  a*  hurry?  The  carriage  left  just  as 
I  came  down." 

"He  received  a  telegram  from  Mr.  With  row  last 
evening,  saying  that  he  was  to  leave  for  Europe  to-day, 
and  should  be  in  Boston  for  an  hour  or  two.  So  Grove 
hoped  to  catch  him  by  taking  the  mail-train.  He  will 
come  out  on  one  of  the  afternoon  trains." 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  13 

Old  Farmer  Benson  and  his  good  wife  were  a  kindly 
couple  who  lived  in  a  small  cottage  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  Chavenage.  For  fifty  years  or  more  they 
had  lived  in  that  one  little  nook,  where  every  passer-by 
proved  unconsciously  a  good  Samaritan,  furnishing,  us 
he  was  sure  to  do,  speculative  food  to  the  observing 
pair.  Everybody  and  everything  connected  with  the 
Chavenage  estate  were  regarded  with  especial  interest 
by  them,  and  they  never  wearied  of  cogitating  upon  the 
"  curus  ways  of  city-folk." 

Upon  this  particular  afternoon,  as  Kate  passed  the 
cottage  on  her  way 'to  the  depot,  —  for  she  had  deter- 
mined to  have  the  girls  all  to  herself  the  first  half  hour,  — 
Farmer  Benson  caught  sight  of  her  just  as  she  was  dis- 
appearing around  the  bend  of  the  road. 

tr  Wai,  I  swaney  ! ''  he  ejaculated,  with  a  knowing 
nod  towards  his  wife.  "  Suthin  or  tether's  up,  or  my 
name  aint  Zekil  Benson  !  There  goes  Miss  Triney,  a- 
strekin'  it  along  like  chain-lightnin',  an'  she  a-settin'  all 
soul  alone  onto  the  front  seat.  I'll  bet,"  with  another 
wise  nod,  "  yoiCl  1  sec  that  eer  kerridge  a-comin'  back 
packed  full,  or  I  miss  my  guess  !  '  She's  got  that  black 
devil  of  a  horse,  too,  that  aint  fit  for  nothin'  only  a  cir- 
cus !  " 

''Come,  come,  Mr.  Benson,"  said  Mrs.  Benson,  re- 
provingly, "  I  wouldn't  use  perfane  langrage  ef  I  was 
you  ;  it  aint  pretty  !  "  and,  wiping  her  spectacles  with  a 
siofh  of  resignation,  she  added:  "Well,  well,  it  does 


14  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

beat  all  how  these  ere  city  fokes  do  go  on  !  Comp'ny, 
eomp'ny,  the  hull  time  !  Xever  contented  'less  they're 
havin'  fokes  {f-comin  an'  a-goin'  from  week  in  to  week 
out." 

r'  I  tell  yer  that  ere  gal  don't  let  the  grass  grow  under 
them  horses'  feet  when  she  gits  the  reins  !  It's  lucky 
they're  fed  up  higher'n  a  kite,  or  they  wouldn't  stan'  it 
long.  Now  I'd  jes  like  ter  know  who's  on  the  carpet 
this  time  !  " 

Kate  would  have  been  highly  amused  could  she  have 
witnessed  the  excitement  which  she  and  her  guests  were 
causing  in  this  humble  abode,  but  she  had  reached  the 
station  unconscious  of  everything  save  her  own  pleasure. 
The  square  in  front  of  the  shabby  little  station  was  full 
of  vehicles  of  one  kind  and  another.  Evidently  a  well- 
tilled  train  was  expected.  Saxony,  the  last  stopping- 
place  on  a  branch  road  from  Oldtown,  was  a  manufact- 
uring village,  and  at  this  hour  was  peaceful  enough, 
though  two  hours  later  the  streets  would  be  thronged 
with  the  mill-operatives, — men  and  women. 

As  Kate  sat,  impatiently  listening  for  the  distant  car 
whistle,  her  attention  was  suddenly  attracted  by  an 
old-fashioned  coupe  and  a  pair  of  gray  horses,  drawn 
close  to  the  platform.  She  leaned  forward,  and  after  a 
moment's  scrutiny,  in  which  her  attempt  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  coachman  was  baffled,  she  exclaimed  to 
herself:  — 

"What!     Can  it  be  General  Winthrop's  carriage?  I 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  15 

don't  know  the  horses,  but  surely  that  is  his  coupe ! 
Xo  one  else  in  Saxony  has  anything  like  it.  I  wonder 
if  it  is  possible  that  the  Winthrops  are  in  America,  and 
are  coming  here  for  the  summer?" 

At  this  point  her  queries  were  interrupted  by  the  pierc- 
ing- whistle  of  the  locomotive,  which  always  gave  warn- 
ing of  its  approach  by  a  series  of  prolonged  shrieks,  as 
if  in  triumph  at  having  reached  its  haven  in  safety. 

The  prim  coachman  belonging  to  the  mysterious  equi- 
page descended  from  his  perch  and  stood  by  the  door ; 
but  the  train  had  stopped,  and  Kate's  eyes  were  directed 
towards  the  crowd  of  laughing,  package-laden  passen- 
gers. Xot  until  the  train  was  nearly  empty  did  Kate 
recognize  Chipie's  piquant,  olive  face  and  dazzling  teeth. 
Behind  her  tripped  slight,  elegant  Madge,  and  closely 
following  came  AVinny,  with  eyes  like  two' dewy  violets. 

"Kate,  my  dear  Kate,"  was  Chipie's  first  salutation, 
"'confess  that  the  sight  of  us,  en  masse,  has  already 
produced  a  pang  of  remorse  for  the  peace  about  to  vanish 
from  Chavcnage  !  " 

"Do  nothing  of  the  kind,  Kate,"  chimed  in  Madge, 
gayly.  "  You  have  been  pining  for  the  hour  to  come, 
haven't  you?" 

"  Isn't  my  haggard  face  a  proof  of  what  the  .waiting- 
has  been?'  laughed  Kate,  as  she  sprang  from  the  car- 
riage. "Yes,  Winny,  Eagle  will  stand  till  we've  kissed 
all  around,  onlv  don't  stand  too  near  the  wheel !  "  and 
then  followed  gushing  girl-greetings,  in  which  questions 


1 6  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

and  answers  wore  wof'ull y  confused,  and  each  interrupted 
the  other,  all  with  the  naive  disregard  of  conventional 
rules  which  frequently  distinguishes  well-bred  girls  upon 
like  occasions.  It  took  some  time  to  find  their  trunk- 
cheeks  for  Ca?sar,  who  stood  at  a  distance  waiting,  and 
to  arrange  themselves  and  their  innumerable  little  pack- 
ages satisfactorily  ;  but  it  was  accomplished  at  last,  and 
away  they  whirled  over  the  red  bridge,  out  of  the  village 
and  into  the  pleasant  country  road. 

"And  now,  girls,"  exclaimed  Kate,  suddenly  turning 
in  her  seat,  "  was  I  audacious  in  getting  you  up  here 
to  bury  your  charms  in  stupid  Saxony  ?  Frankly,  hasn't 
Newport  looked  more  alluring  than  ever  before,  this 
week?" 

"Not  a  bit  of  it !  "  cried  Chipie  and  Madge,  simulta- 
neously. "But,"'  added  Chipie,  "was  my  letter  such 
a  lukewarm  answer  that  it  left  you  with  doubts  upon 
the  subject?" 

"  Your  letter  was  very  jolly  indeed,  Chipie ;  but  are 
you  sure  that  you  realize  that  there. isn't  a  possibility  of 
a  bit  of  a  romance  creeping  into  the  summer?  You 
know  there  aren't  any  people  about  here  to  make 
romances  !  Not  one  cavalier  does  this  benighted  region 
boast,  save  your  own  cousin  Grove  and  our  boy  Donald. 
So  you  see  what  is  before  you  ! 

"I  see,  and  breathe  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving,"  ejacu- 
lated Chipie,  with  amusing  fervor.  "Kate,  don't  lisp 
it  to  any  one ;  but  I'm  so  glad  that  there  isn't  a  possi- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  I/ 

bility  that  anything  savoring  of  a  flirtation  can  occur  for 
the  next  few  months  that  I  feel  as  if  I  were  on  wings. 
You  can't  think  what  a  relief  it  is  ! " 

For  a  minute  Chipie  really  looked  serious,  Madge 
laughed  in  a  provoking  little  way,  that  she  sometimes 
had,  and  said  flippantly:  — 

"  Chipie  sounds  as  if  she  were  here  in  search  of  balm 
of  Gilead,  doesn't  she?" 

"If  she  is,  sheshallhave  it,  and  balm,  moon  wort,  and 
myrrh,  also ;  we  have  them  all  at  home,"  responded 
Kate,  quickly.  f' But,  girls,"  she  continued,  "I  must 
tell  you  something  amusing !  You  remember  General 
Winthrop  ?  " 

"  Was  he  the  icy-looking  man  who  used  to  pass  Chav- 
enage  on  horseback  every  morning?  "  asked  Madge. 

"  Yes,  and  the  uncle  of  my  old  playfellow,  Jerrold 
Winthrop.  You  know  the  stone  house,  with  the  garden 
and  conservatories,  and  the  lions  at  the  entrance,  just' 
beyond  Chavenage  ?  That  is  their  place,  —  Wildwood, 
they  call  it ;  and  for  four  years  it  has  been  shut  up. 
I  hadn't  an  idea  that  it  had  been  opened  until  this 
afternoon,  when  what  should  I  sec  drawn  up  in  front  of 
the  station  but  the  General's  old  coupe.  Fancy  my 
astonishment !  Of  course,  the  General,  or  Jerrold,  or 
both,  must  have  returned  !  It  is  very  odd  that  we've 
heard  nothing  of  it." 

"Returned?"  questioned  Chipie.  "  Where  have  they 
been  ?  " 


1 8  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

"Living  abroad  for  the  last  four  years.  They  left 
just  after  Jerrold  got  through  at  Harvard.  Why,  Jer- 
rold is  a  little  over  twenty-three  now  ;  he  was  nineteen 
the  very  day  he  was  graduated.  I  wonder  if  he  is 
much  changed." 

"  Oh,  I  remember  him  quite  well !  "  exclaimed  Chipie, 
with  a  laugh.  f'I  never  saw  him  but  once,  and  that 
was  when  we  were  children.  He  came  over  to  see  you 
with  a  musty  volume  of  legends  under  his  arm,  one  day 
when  we  were  getting  ready  for  a  fine  romp  in  the  barn, 
and  persisted  in  keeping  you  pinned  down  in  a  corner 
listening  to  them  all  the  afternoon.  How  I  hated  him  ! 
I  can  plainly  see  just  how  he  looked,  perched  beside 
you,  in  his  aggravatingly  faultless  attire." 

"  Yes,  he  was  a  little  prig,"  said  Kate,  rather  thought- 
fully. "  But,  really,  his  uncle  was  more  to  blame  for 
that  than  any  one  else.  He  used  to  keep  him,  after  his 
parents  died,  shut  up  Avith  him  in  that  gloomy  Wild- 
wood  library,  poring  over  mouldy  books,  until  all  the 
simplicity  of  childhood  was  lost.  Nothing  Avas  ever 
'  later '  with  Jerrold,  —  it  was  always  ' posterior  ' ;  and  I 
remember  that  his  common  use  of  the  Avord '  incorrigible,' 
when  he  Avas  about  ten  years  of  age,  used  to  keep  me  in 
a  mild  state  of  awe." 

"  Why,  Madge  !  "  cried  Chipie,  AArith  sudden  emphasis. 

"  What !  "  responded  Madge,  Aviththe  same  inflection. 

"  Do  you  remember  the  gentleman  who  came  in  just 
as  the  train  was  starting?" 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  19 

"  The  rather  distingue-looking  man  who  sat  down  two 
seats  in  front  of  us?  Yes." 

"  It  was  Kate's  Jeirold,  —  I'm  sure  of  it ! "  said  Chipie, 
decisively. 

"What  makes  you  think  so?"  asked  Kate,  with 
interest. 

"  First,  because  he  looked  like  the  infant  Jerrold 
grown  up,  and  then  I'm  sure  I  heard  some  one  call  him 
Mr.  AVinthrop  when  he  got  off  the  train.  I  had  for- 
gotten about  it  till  now  !  " 

"  Then  he  was  in  the  coupe  when  it  passed  us  at  the 
station  ?  "  said  Kate. 

"No,  he  got  off  at  Rawley,"  put  in  Madge.  "I 
didn't  like  him  ;  he  was  quite  too  pedantic-looking  !  " 
and  Madge's  pretty  lip  curled  impatiently. 

"  Oh,  hurrah  !  hurrah  !  "  interrupted  "NVinny,  half 
rising  as  she  excitedly  waved  her  handkerchief  in  the 
air.  "  I  see  the  red  roofs  of  the  dear  old  house  and 
stables  !  " 

"And  isn't  it  elixir  just  to  look  into  that  wilderness 
of  shrubbery  ?  "  said  Chipie. 

"  There's  Aunt  Paulien,"  cried  Madge,  the  next  minute, 
—  "waving  her  handkerchief  from  the  side  veranda." 

The  wide  gate  stood  open,  and  Eagle,  spurred  on  by 
the  voices  behind  him,  sped  up  the  long,  smooth  drive- 
way. 

"And  now,  girls,"  said  Mrs.  Sturgis,  after  the  greet- 
ings were  well  over,  "I  shall  not  let  you  talk  any  more, 


2O  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

for  Grove  will  be  here  in  less  than  half  an  hour,  and  you 
won't  have  more  than  time  to  prepare  for  dinner." 

"Kate,  pray  tell  me  who  is  the  black  sprite  turning 
somersaults  under  the  elms?"  asked  Chipie,  as  Mrs. 
Sturgis  laughingly  drove  the  girls  towards  the  stairs. 

"  Why,  Chipie,  is  it  possible  that  you  don't  recognize 
those  elongated  heels?  That  is  none  other  than  Aunt 
Malley's  mournful  Princess.  Uncle  Hal  brought  her 
here  for  us  to  keep  safe  while  he  and  Aunt  Malley  are 
in  Florida.  She  is  a  grandchild,  you  know,  of  Uncle 
Hal's  old  nurse,  and  a  spoiled  little  monkey  she  is.  She 
remembers  you  as  a  paragon  of  all  earthly  excellence. 
•But  here  we  are  !  Madge,  you  will  have  your  own 
room,  next  to  mamma's  ;  and  Winnie  shall  have  the 
'Robin's  Xest,'  because  she  is  our  wee  birdie ;  and 
Chipie,  you  may  try  to  find  comfort  in  Utopia." 

"That  won't  be  hard,"  exclaimed  Chipie,  as  she  stood 
in  the  door- way,  before  entering,  and  drew  a  breath  of 
keen  pleasure.  "  But  first  let  me  give  one  peep  into 
your  Dreamland,"  —  and  she  stepped  into  Kate's  room, 
which  was  a  poem  in  its  hazy  draperies  of  pale  blue, 
and  soft  white  lace. 

"  Kate,  this  room  has  helped  materially  to  mould  you  ! " 

"  Kate,  don't  let  Chipie  talk,  or  look  at  anything,  until 
she  has  made  herself  presentable  for  dinner,"  called  Madge, 
from  her  room,  as  she  surveyed  herself  complacently  in 
the  glass.  "You  know  her  propensity  for  keeping 
everybody  waiting !  " 


CHAPTER  in. 

HE  dinner-bell  rang  as  the  girls  appeared  at 
the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  at  the  same  moment 
a  hearty  laugh  and  an  ejaculation  of  relief  came 
from  the  hall  below. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  pretty  reception  to  give  a  fellow  ! 
I've  been  lying  in  the  sans-souci  for  the  last  fifteen 
minutes,  patiently  listening  to  the  distant  murmur  of 
voices,  and  at  motherdy's  entreaty  forbore  to  make  a 
sign  of  my  arrival,  lest  I  should  interrupt  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  Sapphos,  and  thus  cause  the  reputation  of 
the  dinner  to  suffer.  I  began  to  think  it  a  case  of 
Tennyson's  Brook  over  again,  —  you  remember  how  it 
went  on  ?" — and,  amidst  a  tumult  of  exclamations,  Grove 
Sturgis  placed  himself  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 

"Grove  Sturgis,  you  don't  deserve  any  sort  of  a  re- 
ception, after  such  innuendoes,"  said  Chipie,  who  was 
foremost.  "  But  we  aren't  responsible  for  anything 
reprehensible  which  we  may  do  to-day ;  we  are  in  a 
state  of  fermentation,  when  only  the  froth  of  our  natures 
comes  to  the  surface  ;  we  haven't  enough  of  the  essence 
of  self-respect  to  challenge  an  incivility  when  offered  !  " 


22  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

"Come,  dear  boy,"  joined  Madge,  catching  Grove's 
hand,  and  turning  him  about,  "we  want  to  see  if  you 
look  pale  at  the  prospect  before  you,  —  a  trio  of  capri- 
cious guests,  and  you  the  one  knight !  " 

"  Oh,  I'm  a  complete  stoic  as  to  my  countenance  : 
not  a  vestige  of  perturbation  will  you  discover,  my 
charming  Madge  ! " 

"  We  discover  that  you  are  a  poor  dissembler,"  said 
Chipie.  "'  We  seethe  illy  concealed  rapture  gleaming 
from  your  eyes  !  "Pis  a  rare  thing  to  moot  with  so 
well-favored  a  group  of  lassies  as  this.  We  congratu- 
late you  upon  your  good  fortune,  sir !  But  see ! 
auntie  is  trying  to  look  amiable,  when  all  the  time 
she  is  incensed  at  the  thought  of  her  cooling  viands." 

"Aunt  Paulien,  don't  make  me  sit  next  to  Grove," 
said  Madge,  with  a  pensive  air  of  appeal,  as  they  en- 
tered the  dining-room.  "I  have  such  a  humiliating 
remembrance  of  the  last  time  I  had  him  for  a  neigh- 
bor, when  he  declared  that  my  nose  looked  like  a 
rocking-chair." 

"  Yes,  and  what  were  you  doing  at  the  time  of  the 
remark,  allow  me  to  ask?  I  have  some  reason  to 
cherish  the  memory,  also  !  "  retorted  Grove. 

"Squeezing  lemon-juice  upon  my  sardines,  I  be- 
lieve," answered  Madge,  pensively. 

"And  is  that  all  you  remember  of  the  lemon-juice?" 

"  Why  ?  Was  there  anything  else  worth  remember- 
ing?" languidly  questioned  Madge. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  23 

"Enough  to  warrant  my  comparison,  I  think!  I 
leave  it  to  any  of  the  just  company  to  decide  whether 
a  nose,  however  symmetrical  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances, wouldn't  assume  an  odd  expression  if  viewed 
while  a  fine  spray  of  lemon-juice  was  being  sent  into 
a  fellow's  eye  !  " 

"  Grove,  the  acidity  of  your  remark  was  excusable," 
said  Chipie,  as  she  turned  to  Mr.  Sturgis,  who  was 
addressing  her. 

"I  believe,  my  dear,"  he-  was  saying,  "that  you  have 
been  dissipating  to  a  goodly  extent  at  the  gay  capital 
since  your  last  sojourn  at  .  Chavenage  !  Were  you 
surfeited  with  gayety,.  or  are  you  fresh  for  another 
campaign  ?  " 

"No,  I  believe  I'm  wholly  content  to  stay  at  home 
and  enjoy  my  choice  little  Boston  next  winter.  O 
Uncle  Malcolm,  I  was  a  dreadful  butterfly  of  fashion 
last  year !  You  would  have  been  shocked  at  me ! 
But  one  can't  help  being  light  and  airy  in  Wash- 
ington. I'm  intellectual  enough  in  Boston ;  but  when 
in  Rome,  you  know  "  — 

"Did  they  make  a  politician  of  you?"  interrupted 
Kate,  smiling. 

"  The  last  part  of  the  season  I  came  to  a  realizing 
sense  of  my  somewhat  superficial  knowledge  as  to  the 
affairs  of  the  nation.  Hence  I  was  frequently  escorted 
to  the  capitol,  by  special  request  of  Uncle  Hal,  when  I 
did  my  best  to  imbibe  wisdom.  Uncle  Malcolm,  I  tried 


24  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

so  hard  to  get  up  a  few  thrills  at  finding  myself  in  the 
presence  of  that  august  body ;  but  it  was  of  no  use,  — 
not  a  thrill  Avould  come  !  " 

"  Ah  !  I'm  surprised,"  laughed  Mr.  Sturgis  ;  "  but 
surely  you  gained  some  profit  from  your  pilgrimages  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  did  ! "  replied  Chipie,  with  enthusiasm. 
"I  comprehended,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  Uncle 
Hal's  greatness.  It  had  never  been  borne  in  upon  me 
before ;  but  no  doubt  was  left  when  I  observed  the  long 
processions  rambling  about  the  senate-chamber,  cling- 
ing for  dear  life  to  note-books  and  autograph-albums. 
The  expressions  of  hero-worship  which  lighted  the 
countenances,  as  one  by  one  they  seated  themselves 
in  my  uncle's  chair,  viewing  his  shabby  pen-holder  and 
untidy  blotter  with  mild  awe  !  Why,  really,  I  felt 
abashed  at  the  reckless  way  in  which  I  had  been  neglect- 
ing my  privileges  !  " 

"I  trust  you  improved  them  after  your  awakening," 
laughed  Mr.  Sturgis,  amused  at  Chipic's  volubility. 

"To  the  utmost,  Uncle  Malcolm,"  replied  Chipie. 
"After  that  day  the  poor  man  invariably  came  home 
to  find  me  comfortably  ensconced  in  his  favorite  arm- 
chair, my  face  blanched  with  a  new-born  awe.  He  was 
no  longer  simply  Uncle  Hal,  with  a  bald  head  !  " 

Here,  "\Vinny,  who  had  been  waiting  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  put  in  a  question  edge- ways,  asked  :  — 

"Auntie,  isn't  Donald  coming  home  this  week,  after 
all  ?  I  so  hoped  that  he  would  be  here  !  " 


.  MARPLOT    CUPID.  25 

"Yes,  dear,  according  to  his  last  letter  from  Mt. 
Desert,  we  may  expect  to  see  him  the  latter  part  of  the 
week.  The  fishing  expedition  was  gotten  up  by  Frank 
Spaulding,  and  the  four  boys  started  off  the  second  day 
of  their  vacation  with  the  old  sea-captain  whom  they 
met  at  Bar  Harbor  last  year." 

"  Pardon  me  for  bringing  up  the  subject  of  noses, 
again,"  said  Grove,  with  a  mischievous  look  at  Madge, 
"  but,  Winny,  when  Donald  comes  home,  be  consid- 
erate, and  appear  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  the  sensitive 
young  fisherman  has  a  nose,  if  you  wish  to  remain  in 
his  good  graces.  His  yesterday's  letter  alluded  patheti- 
cally to  the  grilled  feature,  and  awakened  in  me  these 
simple  lines  :  — 

"  There  was  a  young  lad  of  S. 
Whom  the  gods  did  wonderfully  bless,  — 
They  endowed  him  a  nose 
Which  you'd  never  suppose 
Could  be  ruled  by  the  sun  with  such  zest." 

"I  believe  that  the  laddie  is  rather  self-righteous  over 
that  nose,  is  he  not?"  laughed  Chipie. 

"Yes,  the  one  vanity  as  yet  developed,"  said  Grove. 
"  Fancies  it  the  poetry  of  a  nose,  I  believe." 

"And  being  now  a  nosegay,  it  is  poetical  indeed," 
observed  Chipie. 

"  Aren't  AVC  going  to  begin  our  good  times  by  a  row 
on  the  dear  old  lake?"  asked  Madge,  regarding  with 


26  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

lofty   disdain   her   sister,    whose    punning   proclivities 
were  a  sad  grief  to  her. 

"Most  assuredly,  yes,"  said  Kate.  "  If  we  start  now 
we  shall  get  the  last  glimmerings  of  the  sunset,  and 
then  the  moon." 

Take  extra  wraps,"  said  Mrs.  Sturgis,  "for  the  air 
changes  so  quickly  after  sunset.  The  evenings  here  are 
quite  sharp  much  of  the  time." 

"Motherdy,  can't  we,  even  on  this  festive  occasion, 
persuade  you  to  accompany  us  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,  Grove  ;  but  you  know  what  a  tyrant 
my  head  is  !  However,  I  shall  be  with  you  in  spirit :" 
and,  watching  the  gay  party  set  off,  Mrs.  Sturgis 
smiled  softly  as  the  echo  of  voices  died  away.  She 
had  no  fear  that  Chavenage  would  prove  a  dull  re- 
treat, Castle  of  Indolence  though  it  was.  She  had 
passed  the  summers  of  her  life  within  its  charming 
shelter,  and  Kate,  too,  had  lived  a  dreamy  childhood 
and  girlhood,  breathing  the  odors  of  its  pines  and 
spruces  and  the  breezes  of  the  hills  and  lakes  until 
they  had  become  a  part  of  her  nature.  Grove,  the 
elder  son,  had  just  returned,  after  some  years  abroad, 
and  was  revelling  in  home  comfort. 

It  was  late  when  the  rowers  returned,  and  then  came 
the  unpacking  of  trunks. 

"Is  yours  to  come  first?"  asked  Kate,  as  Chipie 
knelt  down  and  threw  up  her  trunk-cover. 

"Yes,  I  am  the  most  venerable  member  of  the  cir- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  27 

cle,"  answered  Chipie.  "  Madge,  do  up  your  crimps, 
while  I  am  displaying  my  pomps  and  vanities ; 
otherwise,  you  will  plead  sleepiness  when  your  turn 
comes,  and  expect  to  make  a  martyr  of  your  poor 
sister." 

Madge  laughed  languidly.  "  She  sounds  sisterly, 
does  she  not,  Kate  ?  " 

"  Sisterly  and  suspicious  are  synonymous  in  this 
case,  my  dear,"  said  Chipie.  "I  have  to  watch  that 
girl  sharply,  Kate,  or  she  imposes  upon  me  shame- 
fully"— 

"  There  was  a  young  woman  from  Town, 
To  whom  a  new  trinket  or  gown 

Was  so  alluring  dear, 

That  her  friends  paled  with  fear 
O'er  this  frivolous  young  woman  from  Town  "  — 

Grove's  sole  comment  as  he  passed  the  open  door  on 
his  way  to  his  own  room!  No  response  was  vouch- 
safed, and  Chipie  went  on  unmoved,  "Now,  Katrina, 
please  inspect  the  exterior  of  this  trunk,  for  it  is  wor- 
thy !  It  is  one  of  six  Avhich  bore  within  its  capacious 
depths  the  paraphernalia  which  helped,  last  winter, 
to  make  your  cousin  the  star  about  which  all  others 
moved  but  as  insignificant  satellites.  What  say  you, 
dear  one,  when  I  confess  that  this  very  trunk  secreted 
fifteen  rare  and  exquisitely  wrought  fans,  which,  in 
their  turn,  were  waved  before  your  cousin's  little  face, 


28  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

with' undulating  grace,  by  the  hands  of  foreign  ambas- 
sadors and  the  great  ones  of  our  own  land?" 

"I  see  that  the  trunk  has  a  beatified  expression,"  re- 
sponded Kate,  as,  with  anus  resting  on  the  baek  of 
a  chair,  she  looked  down  upon  Chipie,  who  kept  up  a 
succession  of  absurd  remarks  as  she  drew  one  article 
after  another  to  light. 

"  Madge,  has  Chipie  given  up  her  old  habit  of  having 
serious  intervals?"  exclaimed  Kate,  at  length,  entirely 
giving  way  to  her  amusement. 

"  I  don't  wonder  that  you  ask,"  answered  Madge. 
"  But  really,  Kate,  she  can  be  terribly  sensible  at  times. 
Sometimes  I  am  actually  frightened  when  I  see  her 
sitting  beside  Dr.  Weiss,  or  old  Professor  Huffman , 
talking  away  upon  the  most  heathenish  subjects.  Why, 
I  haven't  an  idea  what  they  mean  !  Truly,  Kate,  I 
heard  that  girl,  only  the  other  day,  holding  forth  upon 
—  what  was  it,  Chipie? — anthropomorphic  theories  — 
was  that  it?  —  and  cosmogony,  and  —  but,  oh  !  it  makes 
my  head  whirl  to  think  of  it !  " 

"Does  she  look  as  if  she  enjoyed  it?"  asked  Kate, 
laughing. 

"Her  expression  seems  to  be  genuine,"  admitted 
Madge.  ''  And  I  suppose  she  must  understand  what 
she  is  talking  about,  for  Professor  Huffman  and  the 
other  old  pokes  listen  to  her  as  respectfully,  and  —  and 
she  talks  just  as  much  as  they  do  !  " 

Kate  held  up  her  hands  incredulously. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  2Q 

"And  what  do  you  do,  meanwhile,  poor  child?  " 

"I?  I  sit  and  shake  for  fear  they  will  turn  upon  me 
and  ask  my  opinion  upon  the  jargon." 

"Have  they  ever?"  questioned  AVinny,  with  interest. 

"No,  fortunately!"  replied  Madge,  taking  a  nougat. 
"  Sometimes  they  glance  towards  me,  out  of  courtesy, 
and  I  smile  encouragingly  back  !  " 

Here  Chipie  caught  up  from  the  corner  of  her  trunk 
a  pair  of  large  green  goggles.  She  put  them  on,  and 
sank  back  against  an  arm-chair,  benignantly  regarding 
her  audience. 

"They  look  well !  "  observed  Kate,  graciously.  "Do 
they  flatter  us?" 

"They  are  green,  not  rose-color,"  replied  Chipie,  still 
looking  about  seriously.  "  But  how  do  you  like  me  in 
them,  Kate?" 

"  They  give  you  a  fine  literary  aspect,"  replied  Kate, 
with  mock-earnestness. 

"Literary?  Bless  you,  Kate!  I  respect  you  as 
never  before  !  "  was  Chipie's  pleased  response. 

"  Why  ?     Is  that  your  ambition  ?  " 

"  Thanks  to  you,  my  darling,  yes  !  "  exclaimed  Chipie, 
with  gravity.  "  My  ambition  has  been  awakened  !  I 
am  no  longer  the  frivolous  girl  you  have  known  in  years 
past.  My  girlie,  you  wrote  me  a  sweet,  a  touching 
letter,  some  months  ago,  in  Avhich  you  dwelt  upon  the 
desirableness  of  having  a  definite  aim  in  life.  You 
seemed  to  feel,  dear,  that  we  girls  were  dwindling  — 


3O  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

were  degenerating!  In  fact,  that  our  only  salvation 
from  inanity  lay  in  choosing  a  vocation.  I  " — 

"Chipie  Margrave,  I'll  never  write  you  a  serious 
letter  again!  Aren't  you  ashamed?"  cried  Kate,  half 
laughing  and  half  vexed. 

"  Hush,  I  am  in  deadly  earnest  !  "  was  the  vehement 
answer.  "I  pondered  over  your  well-worded  epistle, 
and  saw  that  it  savored  of  truth.  But  the  way  seemed 
hedged  up  !  Partial  Nature  did  not  endow  me  with  an 
artist's  soul,  like  your  own;  the  lack  of  the  divine  spark 
I  discovered  one  gloomy  day  last  summer,  when,  after 
spending  a  morning  amongst  the  brushes  trying  to  paint 
a  bit  of  white  satin  drapery,  I  took  it  to  mamma  to 
criticise.  Picture  my  dismay  when  the  misguided  soul 
began,  —  mistaking  my  poor  drapery  for  an  old  wall,  and 
the  pearly  shadows  of  the  folds  for  moss!  'T\vas  a  blow  ; 
but  my  determined  spirit  soared  aloft.  Hither  and 
thither  I  turned  me  for  some  path  wherein  to  shine  ; 
help  came  by  chance.  One  morning,  in  looking  over 
my  old  school-books,  I  came  upon  a  collection  of  my 
early  essays  ;  unfastening  the  cherry  ribbon,  I  began  a 
.careless  perusal,  and,  as  I  read,  there  shot  into  my  heart 
a  ray  of  light,  —  signs  of  awakening  genius  were  surely 
discernible  in  the  closely  penned  pages.  On  the  back 
of  each,  in  dear  Madame  Grenville's  flowing  caligraphy, 
were  the  inspiring  words, f  Subject  well  treated,  —  100.' 
It  was  enough  !  When  the  midnight  bells  rang  out  I 
laid  away  my  treasures,  and  with  burning  cheeks  and 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  31 

diluting  eyes  cast  myself  into  Madge's -arms,  breathing 
rapturously,  f Eureka !  Eureka  /'  My  life-work  was 
before  me,  — I  was  an  authoress  in  embryo  !  " 

"Oh,  come,  Chip,"  exclaimed  Madge,  nodding,  in  spite 
of  her  sister's  animated  voice,  "aren't  you  ready  to  help 
me  ?  Please  do  !  I'm  dreadfully  sleepy  !  " 

"Yes,  Madge,  she  shall  help  you,"  exclaimed  Kate, 
Chipie  ignoring  Madge's  coaxing  glance.  "We'll  have 
no  mercy  on  her  after  this  breach  of  honor  !  But, 
Chipie,"  she  added,  preparing  to  lead  her  towards 
Madge's  room,  "why  do  you  adopt  the  goggles?" 

"  Because,  my  dear  Kate,  unfortunately  I  require  them 
to  give  my  face  a  decidedly  literary  character,  and  un- 
less I  possess  an  outward  sign  how  am  I  to  be  credited 
with  the  inner  depths  ?  Henceforth  regard  me  as  one, 
like  yourself,  with  a  purpose  in  life  !  Your  letter  has 
fulfilled  its  mission  !  ' 


CHAPTER  IV. 

'  HE  next  morning  Kate  and  Chipie  drove  over  to 
Wesley,  — a  mile  or  two  beyond  Oldtown,  — to 
call  upon  Madam  Tyler,  an  old  family  friend, 
who  was  stopping  for  a  few  days  at  the  hotel.  On 
their  way  back,  as  they  came  up  with  the  stage, 
which  had  just  set  off  with  its  few  passengers,  they 
recognized  a  pair  of  large  eyes  peering  at  them  from 
the  window,  and  almost  instantly  the  horses  were  reined 
in,  and  a  handsome  lad  of  fifteen,  loaded  with  fishing- 
rods  and  sporting  gear  enough  to  stock  a  country  shop, 
appeared  in  the  door-way,  followed  by  a  pair  of  pointers. 
With  some  difficulty  he  swung  himself  down,  and,  as 
fast  as  his  equipments  would  permit,  approached  the 
phaeton,  which  had  also  stopped. 

"  Why,  Donald,"  exclaimed  both  girls  at  once,  "  what 
a  delightful  surprise  !  How  did  it  happen  ?  We  didn't 
expect  you  before  to-morrow,  at  the  earliest." 

"  Wait  a  minute,  and  I'll  give  you  the  whole  story," 
was  the  gay  reply,  as  the  boy  began  divesting  himself 
of  his  trappings  and  stowing  them  away.  "  My  arms 
are  about  done  for,  steering  this  precious  luggage 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  35 

through  without  damage  ;  every  man  and  woman  on 
the  train  has  taken  a  turn  at  trying  to  smash  something, 
and  one  old  fellow  —  hang  him  !  — was  in  such  a  hurry  to 
get  off',  that  he  sat  down  on  my  prize  rod,  and  would 
have  snapped  it  if  I  hadn't  helped  him  up  on  the  end  of 
a  pin.  But,  Chip,  it's  awfully  jolly  to  see  you  here; 
how  -do  you  do  ? "  and  then  he  added,  noticing  his 
cousin's  look  of  scrutiny,  "  What  is  it,  —  is  anything  the 
matter  with  me  ?  Is  my  face  smutty  ?  " 

"Not  particularly,"  answered  Chipie,  laughing;  "  but 
I'm  trying  to  convince  myself  that  you  are  really  the 
little  fellow  whom  I  saw  a  year  ago  in  the  pretty  cadet 
jacket !  You've  grown  out  of  all  recognition,  child  ;  but 
you  certainly  do  us  credit ;  if  you  keep  on  as  you've 
begun,  who  knows  that  you  won't  rival  Grove,  some 
bright  day  ?  " 

"  No  doubt  of  it,"  replied  Donald,  the  sun-bronzed 
cheek  showing  a  bright  glow.  "  Much  obliged  for 
the  compliment;  but  how  do  you  girls  happen  to  be 
careering  about  in  this  double  phaeton?" 

"  We've  been  calling  upon  Madam  Tyler ;  she  is 
staying  at  the  hotel  for  a  few  days,"  said  Kate,  "and 
mamma  wanted  us  to  take  her  home  to  spend  the  night ; 
but  the  dear  old  lady  is  lame  and  couldn't  bear  the 
long  drive.  But  how  is  it,  dear,  that  we  have  you 
to-day  ?  " 

"Well,  Spaulding's  father  came  down  with  vertigo, 
or  something  of  the  kind,  and  sent  for  him  to  go  home  ; 


36  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

and  Tom  had  to  decamp  because  he  sprained  his  wrist 
and  knocked  out  one  of  his  teeth  yesterday ;  Xed  got 
homesick,  —  the  little  muff,  — and  so  your  humble  ser- 
vant thought  he  might  as  well  toddle  along  and  look 
after  his  family.  How's  Win  ?  " 

"  Tiying  to  make  Uncle  Malcolm  a  substitute  for 
yourself;  she  will  be  so  glad  to  see  you,"  said  Chipie. 

The  ride  was  mostly  taken  up  by  Donald's  account 
of  his  excursion,  full  of  boyish  adventures,  and  not 
lacking  in  enough  of  hair-breadth  escapes  from  danger 
to  make  the  expedition  an  exciting  one. 

"I  tell  you,  girls,  it's  something  more  than  sport, 
roughing  it  in  those  Maine  woods ;  it's  glorious ! 
About  a  week  after  we  got  there  we  stumbled  over 
pne  of  the  jolliest  old  fellows  you  ever  saw;  he  was 
somewhere  about  forty  or  fifty,  I  should  think,  but 
there  wasn't  another  shot  like  him  in  the  party,  and 
there  wasn't  a  thing  in  the  way  of  hunting  or  fishing, 
or  anything  else  worth  knowing,  for  that  matter,  that 
he  wasn't  primed  in." 

"Who  was  he?"  asked  Kate. 

"  Well,  at  first  we  thought  him  a  Prof. ,  though  he 
didn't  seem  exactly  like  one,  either ;  but  he  was  an 
out-and-out  brick,  and  was  the  means  of  keeping  us 
fellows  civilized,  and  "  — 

But  at  this  moment  a  bend  in  the  road  disclosed  the 
lake,  and  upon  its  sparkling  surface  the  "  Penelope " 
was  seen  approaching  the  shore. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  37 

"Hurrah!"  cried  Donald,  not  waiting  to  finish  his 
sentence.  "There's  Grove,  old  fellow,  as  big  as  life; 
and  that  nymph  in  the  bow  is  Madge,  of  course ! 
Let's  give  them  a  salute  ! "  and,  suiting  the  action  to 
the  words,  he  raised  his  voice  to  a  deafening  pitch,  — 
half  as  much  volume  would  have  done  duty.  Both 
heads  turned  simultaneously,  and  across  the  waters 
came  the  confused  murmur  of  voices.  The  oars  began 
to  move  rapidly,  and  as  the  boat  touched  shore  Madge 
sprang  out  and  disappeared  in  the  direction  of  the 
house,  and,  by  the  time  the  carriage  had  arrived,  her 
signal  had  brought  all  the  family  to  light. 

Winny  rushed  into  Donald's  arms  as  he  held  them 
out  to  her. 

"Well,  Win,"  exclaimed  Donald,  after  they  had 
gazed  at  each  other  in  some  astonishment,  and  dis- 
covered how  much  each  had  grown  since  their  last 
meeting,  "  are  you  ready  to  take  some  more  lessons  in 
fish-baiting?  You  made  a  failure  of  it,  you  know,  the 
last  time  I  tried  to  teach  you." 

Winny  tried  not  to  look  the  repugnance  which  she 
felt  at  the  remembrance,  and  answered  bravely  :  — 

"I'll  try  to  be  courageous,  Donnie  ;  but  I  can't  help 
thinking,  still,  that  it  must  be  wicked  to  stick  the 
hooks  through  the  poor,  helpless  frogs  and  grass- 
hoppers !  " 

"O  little  pearly-face,  haven't  you  given  up  that 
idea  yet  ?  You're  too  tender-hearted !  The  grass- 


38  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

hoppers  like  the  fun  of  it,  for  it  gives  them  a  chance 
to  see  something  they  never  saw  before.  Here,  you 
may  have  this  jolly  rod  for  your  own  if  you'll  promise 
to  be  manly  and  not  look  frightened,  when  you're 
sticking  the  little  fellows." 

When  Kate  and  Chipie  came  downstairs,  half  an 
hour  later,  Grove  called  them  into  the  billiard-room, 
where  he  was  amusing  himself  by  defeating  an  imag- 
inary foe.  With  a  droll  expression  on  his  face  he 
threw  down  his  cue,  and  exclaimed,  "Girls,  I  have 
some  news  for  you  !  " 

"News?"  said  both  girls,  looking  curious. 

"Yes,"  said  Grove.  "Whom  do  you  think  we  are 
to  have  for  neighbors  this  summer  ?  " 

For  a  minute  the  girls  looked  puzzled,  and  then 
Kate  exclaimed  quickly  :  — 

"Why,  the  Winthrops,  of  course  !  Chipie,  we  act- 
ually forgot  to  speak  of  your  having  seen  Jerrold." 

"When  did  you  see  him?"  asked  Grove,  looking 
surprised. 

"Coming  up  on  the  train,"  said  Chipie,  taking  up  a 
cue.  "  Winthrop  would  feel  highly  flattered,  methinks, 
if  he  knew  the  amount  of  interest  which  you've  dis- 
played, Kate,  in  his  return,  after  a  four  years' absence," 
laughed  Grove. 

"I  know  it,  poor  fellow,"  said  Kate,  deprecat- 
ingly  ;  "  it  was  shameful  in  me  to  forget  it,  but  we've 
had  so  many  things  to  talk  about  that  it  entirely  left 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  39 

my  mind.  But  don't  think  I'm  not  interested  in  the 
event.  Has  he  come  yet  ?  " 

"Yes,: — arrived  about  an  hour  after  you  left  the 
house ;  and  not  only  Jerrold  and  his  uncle,  but  a 
friend  who  has  been  travelling  with  them, — a  nice 
sort  of  a  fellow,  I'm  inclined  to  think,  though  a  trifle 
young ;  a  fledgling  I  suppose  Chipie  will  call  him, 
holding  youth,  as  she  does,  in  high  scorn." 

"And  what  about  Jerrold?"  asked  Kate.  "Is  he 
very  much  changed  and  improved?" 

"  Somewhat  changed,"  said  Grove  ;  "  he  is  four  years 
older  for  one  thing,  and  I  should  say  that  that  might  be 
a  good  thing  in  his  case.  You  are  aware,  Kate,  that  I 
never  doted  upon  Jerrold  !  " 

"Oh,  dear!"  ejaculated  Chipie,  with  disconsolate 
accent ;  "  it  is  really  too  bad  !  I  don't  like  it  a  bit, 
and  I  Avish  that  the  Winthrops  and  their  fledgling  had 
remained  in  Europe,  instead  of  coming  to  spoil  all  our 
fine  plans." 

"  How  are  they  likely  to  spoil  them?  "  asked  Grove. 

"By  being  here  at  all,"  replied  Chipie.  "I  thought 
that  it  would  be  such  a  beautiful,  free  summer,  all  to 
ourselves,  away  from  annoyance  of  that  kind ;  and 
here  we  are,  the  very  first  thing,  threatened  with  two 
intruders,  whom  none  of  us  care  a  penny  for!  Didn't 
you  say,  Ka-tc,  that  Air.  "Winthrop  was  in  the  habit  of 
coming  and  going,  as  he  pleased?" 

"Yes,  but  that  was  long  ago  ;  it  won't  be  necessary 


40  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

to  continue  the  old  familiarity,  unless  we  like.  I'm 
sure  I  shall  be  as  indignant  as  yourself  if  anything 
occurs  to  disturb  the  dolce  far  nieiite  existence  which 
we've  laid  out." 

"And,  pray,  do  you  intend  to  let  two  harmless 
youths  massacre  your  peace  and  comfort  ?  AYell  ! 
well !  girls  are  the  most  incomprehensible  creatures  ! " 
and  Grove  looked  with  affected  dismay  at  the  annoyed 
faces  opposite  him. 

"Grove,  I  wish  you  wouldn't  give  yourself  the 
habit  of  speaking  in  that  tone,"  said  Chipie,  crossly. 
"It  is  natural  that  we  should  feel  displeased." 

Chipie  was  beyond  question  aggrieved.  A  little 
sanitary  project  which  she  had  been  pleasantly  harbor- 
ing must  now  be  relinquished.  When  it  had  been 
settled  that  she  should  spend  the  summer  at  Chave- 
nage,  with  her  usual  enthusiasm,  she  made  up  her 
mind  to  reap  the  full  benefit  of  the  bracing  air  and 
out-door  life.  Accordingly  she  devised  a  suit,  the 
utility  of  which  was  unquestionable,  although  it  de- 
tracted strangely  from  the  grace  of  the  wearer.  She 
spoke  of  it  as  a  reform  suit,  and  as  she  held  it  up  for 
her  cousins'  inspection  she  dwelt  with  fervor  upon 
its  simplicity  and  lack  of  superfluous  material,  ex- 
ulting over  the  freedom  with  which  it  would  enable 
her  to  ramble  over  hill  and  dale.  But  now,  at  the  en- 
tree of  two  fashionable  young  men,  she  felt  her  courage 
begin  to  waver ;  for,  unfortunately,  this  sensible  garment 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  4! 

gave  her  an  oddly  childish  aspect.  The  dream  of 
freedom  was  over,  she  told  herself. 

"Ma  chcre  cousine,  I  beg  your  pardon,  if  I've 
wounded  you,"  said  Grove,  regarding  Chipie  with 
amusement.  "But  when  you  come  to  consider  the 
matter,  don't  you  see  that  it  isn't  a  bad  thing,  after 
all  ?  Were  we  to  have  uninterrupted  peace  all  sum- 
mer, before  it  should  be  half  over  you  would  weary 
of  the  monotony,  and  be  sighing  for  livelier  scenes ; 
as  it  is,  Jerrold  will  be  amusing, — after  a  fashion,  — 
and  his  friend  will  be  an  agreeable  fellow  enough ;  so 
cheer  up,  little  one  !  " 

"I  have  no  heart  to  cheer  up,"  said  Chipie,  unap- 
peased. 

"But  another  consideration  is,"  continued  Grove, 
"that  they  will  be  sure  to  fancy  that  neat  little  suit  of 
yours;  it  gives  you  such  an  air  of  naivete! — just  the 
thing  to  attract  travel-worn  hearts  like  theirs,  you 
know  ! " 

Grove  looked  supremely  unconscious  of  having 
touched  upon  Chipie's  woe,  and  Madge,  who  had  come 
in  shortly  before,  remarked  complaisantly  :  — 

"I  agree  with  you,  girls,  that  it  is  extremely  unfor- 
tunate, as  it  must  necessarily  change  the  character  of  our 
summer  .somewhat.  However,  I  suppose  that  there  is 
nothing  to  be  done  but  to  resign  ourselves  gracefully  to 
the  intrusion  ! " 

She  spoke  in  the  tone  of  regret  which  the  occasion 


42  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

called  for,  and  permitted  an  appropriate  expression  of 
annoyance  to  veil  her  features  ;  hut  at  the  same  time  she 
could  not  help  remembering  with  much  satisfaction  the 
becoming  morning-dress  of  delicate  green  with  its 
marguerite  trimmings,  and  feeling  glad  that  she  had 
persisted  in  having  the  extra  five  inches  added  to  the 
train. 

Grove  laughed  good-naturedly,  and  praised  her  for 
accepting  her  cross  so  amiably,  and  forthwith  proceeded 
to  make  her  an  example  to  Chipie  and  Kate,  who  still 
remained  unreconciled. 


CHAPTER  V. 

are  you  proposing,  Chipie?"  asked  Madge, 
entering  the  sans-souci,  where  one  after  another 
the  family  had  strolled  from  the  breakfast-room. 
"I  hope  it  isn't  anything  that  will  require  too  much 
exertion  ! " 

"I'm  proposing,  Miss  Indolence,  that  we  spend  our 
morning  in  the  woods ;  will  that  be  too  much  for  your 
ladyship  to  attempt?" 

"No,  not  if  Grove  will  hold  that  famous  big  um- 
brella of  his  over  me,  while  we  are  getting  there. 
And  we  must  wear  veils,  too,  for  this  morning  sun  will 
turn  us  into  perfect  gypsies." 

"That  is  what  I  mean  it  to  do  me,"  replied  Chipie. 
"It  is  my  ambition  to  become  mellowed  into  as  rich  a 
tint  as  that  cabinet  shows,  before  fall." 

"Will  Chipie  appear  en  costume?"  asked  Grove, 
seriously.  "The  only  regret  is,  that  our  friends  from 
abroad  will  not,  by  any  possible  chance,  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  trig  little  affair." 

"Why?"  asked  all  the  girls  at  once. 


44  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"Because  they  started  early  this  morning  upon  a 
week's  hunting  expedition,  and  are,  in  all  probability, 
fifty  miles  away  by  now  !  Jerrold,  whom  I  saw,  for 
a  minute,  on  the  way  to  the  depot,  made  very  especial 
inquiries  for  all  the  family,  and  will  call  as  soon  as  he 
returns.  Young  Godfrey,  his  friend,  is  making  a  sort 
of  a  martyr  of  him,  I  fancy." 

"  Well,  Chipie,"  said  Kate,  smiling,  "you  see  you 
are  quite  safe  in  the  bosom  of  your  family." 

Chipie  li:;:!  become  animated  at  Grove's  disclosure  ; 
she  had  been  wondering  if  she  dared  to  wear  her  pre- 
cious "reform,"  arc!  run  the  risk  of  encountering  the 
two  gentlemen.  But  now  the  obstacle  to  her  comfort 
was  removed,  and  with  cheerful  alacrity  she  left  the 
room  to  get  ready. 

When  she  returned,  the  others  were  waiting  on  the 
balcony,  and  hailed  her  with  shouts  of  laughter,  which 
did  not  in  the  least  disturb  her  equanimity,  and  with 
much  zest  she  began  to  point  out  the  advantages  she 
now  possessed  over  the  girls  with  their  long  skirts. 
The  suit  consisted  of  a  short  gray  flannel  skirt ;  a  blouse 
waist,  unadorned  save  by  a  wide  sailor  collar;  long 
gray  gloves  and  a  broad-rimmed  hat,  —  so  broad  that, 
with  the  short  dress,  it  gave  a  toadstool  effect, — the 
only  signs  of  frivolity  being  a  silk  scarf  knotted  loosely 
around  the  throat,  and  a  bunch  of  daisies  and  grasses 
which  adorned  one  side  of  the  capacious  hat. 

That  Chipie  had  passed  beyond  the  hoop  and  jump- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  45 

rope  period  nobody  would  have  imagined,  for,  although 
full  medium  height,  the  style  of  dress  denied  it. 

"I  wish,  Chip,  that  Mr.  Allyn  could  get  a  squint  at 
you,"  cried  Donald.  "  Wouldn't  it  be  fun  alive  to  see 
his  eye-glass  go  up,  and  his  pink  mustaches  tremble, 
and  hear  his  manly  voice  gasp,  'And  pway  what  is  that 
wemarkable  kweture,  yonder?'  and  then,  'What !  ith  it 
pothible  that  that  ware  kweture  can  so  terwibly  metamor- 
phose herself? '  ' 

"  Fortunately  for  Mr.  Allyn' s  fastidious  soul,  Donald, 
he  is  as  many  miles  from  us  as  are  our  new  neighbors. 
The  sylvan  creatures  whom  alone  we  shall  meet  will  look 
but  to  admire  !  "  and  with  careless  ease  Chi  pie  seated 
herself  in  the  boat,  casting  commiserating  glances  the 
while  at  Kate  and  Madge,  who,  with  some  difficulty, 
were  arranging  themselves. 

"Donald,  let  Chipie  take  your  place,  please,  for  a 
time.  I  want  to  see  how  she  handles  an  oar,"  said 
Grove.  "  That  is  one  thing  which  we  mean  to  make 
you  proficient  in,  my  dear  girl ;  it  is  a  part  of  country 
living,  you  know  !  " 

"Yes,  Chipie,"  said  Kate,  "you  must  practise  rowing, 
and  make  yourself  a  grand  oars-woman,  for  sometime 
in  September  we  will  get  up  a  regatta,  and  make  a 
charming  affair  of  it ;  and  of  course  you  will  want  to 
shine." 

"You  shall  have  two  months  to  see  how  near  you 
can  come  to  equalling  Kate ;  but  you'll  have  to  work 


46  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

hard,  I  warn  you,  for  Kate  manages  a  boat  to  per- 
fection !  "  and  Grove  replaced  Chipie's  oar,  which  had 
slipped  from  the  rowlock. 

"Will  you  give  me  lessons,  Kate?"  asked  Chipie, 
splashing  the  water  high  in  air,  in  her  effort  to  pull  a 
long  stroke. 

"  Yes,  gladly,  if  you'll  promise  not  to  be  too  energetic," 
laughed  Kate,  as  she  received  a  heavy  spray  in  her  eyes, 
the  result  of  her  cousin's  attempt  to  back  water. 

"Then  after  to-day  I'll  give  you  into  her  charge,  but 
I  hope  you'll  find  an  apter  pupil  than  you  found  in  Carl, 
Kate.  Do  you  remember?  " 

"  Indeed  I  do,  poor  fellow  !  Ho\v  hard  I  tried  to 
make  a  sailor  of  him,  in  those  delightful  days  in  Ger- 
many !  Oh,  those  moonlight  nights  on  the  Alster ! 
Weren't  they  rare  ?  " 

"That  they  were!"  answered  Grove,  meditatively. 
"Dear  old  Carl  ! — I  wish  he  were  to  be  here  this  sum- 
mer. He  is  a  right  fine  fellow,  and  as  handsome  as 
a  picture,  too.  He  would  enjoy  this  life  here  immensely, 
wouldn't  he  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Kate.  "  Why  doesn't  he  make 
that  visit  to  America,  of  which  he  has  been  thinking  so 
long,  this  year?  You  ought  to  impress  it  upon  him 
that  it  is  his  duty  not  to  postpone  it  any  longer." 

"  My  dear  sisterine,  I've  been  using  my  persuasive 
powers  all  winter.  There  is  no  reason,  that  I  can 
discover,  whv  the  old  fellow  shouldn't  come  now. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  47 

But  the  probability  is,  he' will  wait  until  autumn.     Ah  ! 
that  last  stroke  was  capital,  Chipie." 

"Yes,"  responded  Chipie,  elatedly,  "it  is  all  owing 
to  the  freedom  this  blouse  gives  me.  Girls,  I  do  wish 
that  you,  too,  had  them ;  they  would  be  such  comforts. 
Oh,  what  a  pretty  landing-place!"  she  added,  as  they 
stopped  under  some  low  drooping  trees. 

The  path  which  led  from  this  point  to  the  dell,  for 
which  they  were  bound,  wound  along  the  edge  of  the 
lake  through  the  thickly  shaded  wood.  It  was  not 
strange  that  TVinny  grew  silent  and  dreamy  during  her 
rambles  here,  for  it  was  like  a  veritable  fairy-land,  with 
its  soft  carpet  of  partridge  blossoms,  dotted  occasionally 
by  brilliant  scarlet  berries,  and  the  green  arches  formed 
by  the  climbing  and  intertwining  of  the  wild  smilax 
and  woodbine  over  the  trees.  They  followed  the  path, 
with  subdued  exclamations  of  delight,  until  a  signal 
from  Grove,  who  Avas  leading  the  way,  told  that  they 
were  Hearing  the  cathedral.  This  was  a  broad,  smooth 
avenue,  matted  with  bright  pine-needles  ;  on  both  sides 
gigantic  hemlocks  towered,  softened  into  mysterious 
mistiness  by  the  blending  of  their  upper  branches  with 
the  frosty  arms  of  the  pines  which  loomed  above.  The 
air  was  redolent  with  the  purifying  incense  wafted 
through  the  grand  nave  from  the  full  censers. 

It  was  no  wonder  that  the  voices  grew  soft  as  the 
God-formed  temple  was  approached,  nor  that  they 
ceased  altogether  upon  entering.  How  natural  for 


48  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

Grove  to  bare  his  head  reverently,  and  for  Donald  to 
comprehend  at  once  Kate's  look,  and  also  uncover  for 
the  benediction  !  For  a  few  moments  they  remained 
with  hushed  voices  drinking  in  the  solemn  beauty,  and 
then  passed  on  to  the  dell,  —  a  large  opening  shut  in  by 
great,  overarching  trees,  and  luxuriantly  spread  with  a 
soft  covering  of  green  moss. 

"Oh  !  oh  !  oh  !  "  cried  Madge,  half  under  her  breath, 
sinking  down  on  the  erne  raid  couch,  and  gazing  around 
in  ecstasy. 

"  Do  you  wonder  that  we  never  weary  of  it  ?  "  Kate 
said,  seating  herself  beside  Madge. 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Chipie,  impulsively.  "I  should 
be  quite  content  if  I  could  come  here  every  Sabbath 
for  my  sermon ;  I'm  sure  it  wouldn't  be  possible  to 
find  any  more  inspiring  elsewhere  !  " 

"  No.  One  receives  the  truth  unalloyed  in  a  spot 
like  this,"  said  Grove,  throwing  himself  on  the  deep 
moss,  at  Chipie's  feet. 

"O  Kate,  do  you  remember  the  time  you  remained 
at  Chavenage  all  winter,  when  we  came  down  here  the 
day  after  that  great  snow-storm?"  asked  Madge.  "I 
have  laughed  over  it  so  many  times,  and  wondered  if  I 
should  ever  be  as  brave  again." 

"Yes,"  said  Kate.  "I  shall  never  forget  that  wild 
freak,  for  we  got  so  much  enjoyment  out  of  it ;  it  was 
the  year  after  we  returned  from  abroad,  when  poor  Aunt 
Floy  was  so  ill,  and  we  stayed  out  here  for  the  sake  of 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  49 

rest  and  quiet  for  her.  How  good  it  was  in  you,  Madge, 
to  make  that  long  visit,  when  you  hated  the  country  in 
winter  as  you  did  !  " 

"  But  we  had  a  delightful  time  !  "  said  Madge,  reilect- 
ively. 

"Yes,"  said  Kate  ;  "although  I  believe  that  the  most 
exciting  event  which  took  place  was  our  visit  to  the  dell 
after  the  three  days'  storm.  We  wanted  to  see  the 
old  place  in  its  winter  garb,  and,  after  being  housed  up 
for  three  days,  we  were  ready  for  anything  that  prom- 
ised excitement ;  so,  without  saying  a  word  to  any  one, 
we  each  took  a  pair  of  Grove's  Wellingtons,  and  in  some 
way  .succeeded  in  ploughing  our  way  down  here.  And, 
O  Madge,  weren't  we  repaid  for  our  prowess?  " 

"Why?  What  did  you  see?"  asked  Grove,  lazily, 
as  he  breathed  the  aromatic  breezes  from  'the  pine 
branch  which  Chipie  was  waving  above  him. 

"  Oh,  we  couldn't  make  you  see  it,  if  we  should  try  !  " 
said  Kate.  "It  was  so  beautiful!  These  great  hem- 
locks were  mantled  in  soft,  spotless  robes,  like  the  vestal 
queens  of  the  forest  that  they  were,  and  every  needle 
on  the  pines  glistened  like  a  jewel ;  the  floors  of  the 
dell  and  cathedral  were  like  purest  Carrara,  engraven 
with  a  pattern  of  lace-like  delicacy,  as  far  as  AVO  could 
sec,  by  myriads  of  birds  which  had  stolen  a  march  upon 
us  and  had  paid  their  praise-tribute  first.  We  could 
almost  hear  the  stillness,  the  only  sound  being  an 
occasional  moan  from  the  frozen  lake." 


5O  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"  Those  sorrowful  sounds  always  seem  to  me  like  the 
wails  of  the  poor,  imprisoned  fishes,"  said  Winny,  dream- 
ily. "  They  make  the  lakes  and  rivers  seem  like  great 
Bastiles,  and  the  spring,  when  she  melts  away  the  ice,  is 
like  the  valiant  Xapoleon  breaking  down  the  prison-bars, 
and  letting  in  light  and  freedom." 

The  childish  fancy  called  forfh  an  amused  smile ;  and 
so,  rambling  on  from  one  thing  to  another,  the  morning 
wore  on.  At  length  the  mossy  bed  and  whisperings 
from  the  trees  cast  a  spell  over  Donald,  and  he  fell  into 
a  sound  sleep ;  Kate  began  sketching  an  old  stump  half 
buried  in  ferns,  and  Madge  became  absorbed  in  her 
book ;  while  \\rinny,  not  caring  for  the  conversation 
engrossing  Chipie  and  Grove,  sauntered  off  in  search  of 
flowers.  Presently  Grove's  remarks  began  to  lose  their 
flavor,  and  his  responses  became  vague,  and  then 
Morpheus  jostled  his  hat  over  his  eyes,  and  Chipie  Avas 
left  to  watch  Kate's  deft  manipulations. 

"  Kate,  don't  sketch  any  longer,"  she  exclaimed  soon, 
in  a  low  tone.  "Let  us  leave  these  fine  knights  to  their 
fate,  and  take  a  stroll.  Madge,  if  you  prefer  to  read, 
you  can  see  that  the  sleepers  aren't  spirited  away  ! " 

"  Yery  well,"  replied  Madge,  too  much  absorbed  to 
look  up. 

''Isn't  it  humiliating,  Kate,  to  find  out  how  dependent 
one  is  upon  the  outward  adornment?  Grove  never 
would  have  dared  to  commit  such  an  impertinence  as  to 
fall  asleep  while  I  was  in  the  midst  of  expounding  one 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  51 

of  my  fine  theories,  if  my  dress  had  been  after  its  usual 
frivolous  mode  ;  "  and,  placing  a  straw  in  uncomfortable 
relation  to  Grove's  ear,  Chipie  took  her  cousin's  arm, 
and  they  walked  away. 

They  struck  into  a  little  fern-grown  path,  which  pres- 
ently brought  them  to  a  small  pool,  separated  by  a 
narrow  neck  of  land  from  the  lake,  and  which  was 
surrounded  by  sedges  and  a  rank  growth  of  aquatic 
plants  ;  it  was  a  place  where  frogs  and  water-snakes 
revelled  in  undisturbed  felicity,  save  upon  rare  occasions 
when  some  wood-thief  encroached  upon  their  sacred 
precincts,  attracted  thither  by  blossom  or  grass.  But 
now  the  murky  water  was  robbed  of  all  offensiveness 
by  the  burden  which  it  bore  upon  its  surface. 

"  Oh,"  cried  Kate,  as  the  sight  met  them,  — "  pond-lilies, 
actually  ;  and  such  beauties,  too  !  I  never  knew  them 
to  come  so  early ;  they  are  almost  a  fortnight  before 
their  time." 

"  And  won't  the  others  pale  with  envy  when  they 
behold  us  as  we  shall  return?"  said  Chipie,  springing 
eagerly  forward.  "Oh,  you  waxen  wonders,  let  me 
seize  you  and  make  sure  that  you  are  real !  " 

"They  do  look  like  spirits  about  to  take  a  flight," 
said  Kate,  as  she  sprang  from  clump  to  clump  of  the 
thick  sedges,  pulling  in  the  long  stems  in  quick  suc- 
cession. 

They  worked  away  excitedly,  until  all  within  easy 
reach  had  been  captured. 


52  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"Be  careful  !  "  cried  Kate,  in  alarm,  as,  clinging  with 
one  hand  to  a  hunch  of  hushes,  Chipie  hent  forward. 
rr  You  haven't  an  idea  how  treacherous  this  soil  is. 
Donald  had  a  wretched  mishap  here,  gathering  cardi- 
nals, last  year/' 

"Bless  you,"  returned  Chipie;  carelessly;  '' don't 
imagine  that  I  shall  do  anything  rash  !  This  dress  gives 
me  such  freedom  that  I  can  afford  to  he  rather  more 
venturesome  than  yourself.  There  !  I  see  a  royal  one 
just  heyond  that  stump,  and  have  it  I  must." 

"  You  will  certainly  come  to  grief  if  you  attempt  it," 
said  Kate,  who  was  herself  in  momentary  danger  of 
losing  her  halancc.  "Don't  risk  a  melancholy  hath,  I 
hog  of  you.  I  don't  know  what  would  become  of  you 
if  you  should  fall." 

"  Give  yourself  no  anxiety,"  was  the  cheerful  response. 
"I'm  discretion  itself;  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye 
you  will  sec  me  the  possessor  of  the  prize  of  the 
loch." 

Without  heeding  her  cousin's  appeal  she  sprang  upon 
the  stump,  which  suddenly  parted,  and  with  a  splash 
she  sank  into  the  muddy  water ;  it  was  hardly  three 
feet  in  depth,  hut,  as  Kate  had  said,  the  soil  beneath 
was  treacherous.  For  a  moment  she  floundered  about, 
and  then  her  feet  became  so  deeply  embedded  that  she 
could  do  nothing  but  keep  an  upright  position  and  de- 
scend with  the  slow  majesty  of  the  setting  sun. 

"O  Kate,    Kate,   what    shall  I   do? — what  shall  I 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  53 

do?"  she  screamed  in  horror.  "  I  can't  move  an  inch, 
and  I'm  sinking  deeper  and  deeper  every  minute.  Kate, 
think  of  something  —  quick!  " 

Kate  was  hardly  less  alarmed  than  her  cousin,  for  a 
vision  of  Chipie,  disappearing  altogether  from  sight, 
flitted  before  her,  filling  her  with  terror ;  and  yet,  at 
every  glance  towards  the  tempestuous  face,  she  was 
ready  to  shout  with  laughter.  She  looked  about  in 
despair  for  some  hope  of  assistance,  but  in  vain  ;  and 
with  hasty  words  of  encouragement  she  started  on  a 
run  towards  the  dell,  leaving  Chipie  sobbing  hysterically. 
The  hitter's  head  and  shoulders  were  alone  visible,  while 
the  immense  hat  had  fallen  low  over  her  eyes,  and  one 
hand,  with  its  stained  glove,  still -grasped  the  bunch  of 
lilies,  which  was  swung  across  the  right  shoulder,  and 
which  had  been  retained  in  spite  of  all.  The  frogs, 
startled  by  the  sudden  invasion,  were  raising  their 
voices  in  shrill  protestation,  and  performing  flying  leaps 
with  an  energy  that  was  torture  to  Chipie's  brain. 

It  was  not  surprising  that  the  figure  pressing  rap- 
idly towards  the  cry  of  distress  should  have  stopped 
transfixed  as  he  came  suddenly  upon  the  scene. 

A  second  before,  a  green  snake  had  glided  into  the 
water,  at  Chipie's  very  feet,  and  at  this  last  straw  she 
could  contain  herself  no  longer ;  shutting  her  eyes  she 
burst  into  a  paroxysm  of  tears  never  exceeded  in  her 
childhood's  stormiest  grief.  Her  voice  was  capable  of 
wondrous  volume,  and  consequently  the  first  ejacula- 


54  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

tion  which  fell  from  the  stranger's  lips  was  unheeded ; 
not  until  a  second  venture  was  made  did  the  eyes  open. 

"My  poor  little  girl!  This  is  a  sad  situation,  cer- 
tainly. But  don't  cry  —  one  minute,  and  I  will  have 
you  safe  on  dry  ground  !  " 

With  a  pleasant  ring  in  his  voice  the  stranger  be- 
gan hastily  to  divest  himself  of  knapsack  and  gun ;  but 
he  was  arrested  by  Chipie,  who  saw  in  this  only  fresh 
mortification. 

"  Xo  !  No  !  I'm  not  a  little  gir-girl !  I-I'm  twenty- 
fo-four,  and  I  pre-fer  to  b-be  here  !  Please  go  away 
in-instantly  !  ;' 

Bitter  sobs  broke  her  utterance,  and  with  strap  half 
over  his  head  the  sportsman  stood  still  in  mute  aston- 
ishment. Then,  rallying  his  self-possession,  he  calmly 
raised  his  hat,  and  said,  courteously  :  — 

"  Beg  your  pardon ;  but  you  do  not  expect  me  to 
leave  you  in  this  '  Slough  of  Despond ' !  " 

"  Yes,  oh,  yes ;  you  are  k-kind,  b-b-but  I  can't  have 
you  st-stay  another  m-minutef  " 

"  Indeed,  that  would  be  barbarous  treatment ;  you 
will  pardon  me  for  disregarding  your  request ;  "  and 
with  quick,  resolute  movements  he  began  breaking 
down  a  sapling.  But  again  Chipie's  voice  stopped 
him :  — 

"  Go  now !  Eesp-spect  my  com-mand  !  Oh  !  Oh  !  " 
and  with  a  fresh  outburst  she  waved  the  bewildered 
man  away. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  57 

"But  what  will  you  do  without  help?  If  I  mistake 
not,  the  nature  of  this  soil  will  hardly  permit  you  to 
help  yourself." 

"My  fr-friends  will  be  here  di-rectly,  and —  Oh, 
quick,  quick,  go  away  —  they  are  co-coming!" 

The  voice,  unnatural  and  broken  though  it  was,  rang 
with  appeal,  and  hurrying  feet  made  it  obvious  that  his 
assistance  would  be  unnecessary,  so,  bowing  respect- 
fully, the  stranger  withdrew.  "  I  regret  that  you  place 
me  in  so  unchivalrous  a  light ;  but  since  it  is  your  wish 
—  I  obey  ! " 

Almost  immediately  Grove  and  Donald  tore  through 
the  bushes,  closely  followed  by  the  girls  ;  and  the  sight 
which  met  them  threw  Grove  into  an  uncontrollable  fit 
of  laughter,  in  which  the  others,  though  they  fought 
bravely  to  repress  themselves,  found  it  impossible  not 
to  join. 

"  Grove  Sturgis,  if  you've  any  man-hood  abo-bout 
you,  get  me  out  of  this  wretched  bog  at  once,"  Chipic 
cried,  now  full  of  indignation  as  well  as  pleading. 
"  I'm  forever  disgraced,  and  never  let  me  hear  the 
word  water-lily  again !  I  detest  it  with  all  my 
heart !  " 

Aware,  for  the  first  time,  of  her  hold  upon  the  inno- 
cent blossoms,  she  flung  them  from  her  with  as  much 
force  as  her  precarious  position  would  allow.  Without 
being  really  dangerous,  her  situation  was  as  bad  as  it 
could  well  be  ;  but  the  signs  of  actual  pain  in  her  face 


58  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

and  tone  were  alone  effcctiuil  in  quenching  the  mirth 
of  the  lookers-on.  They  went  to  work  vigorously,  and 
soon  formed  a  contrivance  by  which  Grove  and  Donald 
together  were  able  to  bring  Chipie  to  a  firm  resting- 
place  ;  but  a  more  deplorable  spectacle  could  not  be 
conjured  up,  and  it  took  many  a  baptism  in  the  clear 
waters  of  the  lake  before  she  was  in  a  condition  to  enter 
the  boat. 

It  was  essential  that  Chipie  should  be  gotten  home 
without  delay,  and,  as  Winny  had  not  returned  from  her 
flower-hunt,  Donald  offered  to  stay  behind  and  find  her. 

When  they  were  seated  in  the  boat  Grove  said  apolo- 
getically :  — 

"  You  must  forgive  me,  Chipie,  for  my  unseasonable 
mirth  ;  but  it  was  such  an  unprecedented  accident,  you 
know  !  " 

"You  did  seem  so  diminutive,  dear,"  murmured 
Madge,  reflectively. 

"  You  looked  as  if  you  meant  to  make  a  clean  sweep 
of  the  lilies,  whatever  happened,"  added  Grove,  again 
showing  signs  of  levity. 

"  That  is  no  reason  why  he  should  have  mistaken  me 
for  a  lili-putian,"  Chipie  exclaimed,  petulantly,  with 
one  of  her  natural  twinkles. 

"  He?  Whom  do  you  mean  ?  What  has  happened  ?  " 
were  the  simultaneous  interrogations. 

"I  will  only  tell  you  on  one  condition,"  said  Chipie, 
ruefully. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  59 

"Anything,  only  tell  us,"  said  Grove,  looking  askance 
at  the  two  girls. 

"  Then  promise  that  you  will  never  lisp  a  word  of 
it  to  any  one  as  long  as  you  live,"  returned  Chipie, 
looking  large-eyed. 

"  We  promise,"  came  the  eager  response. 

"  Well,"  exclaimed  Chipie,  folding  her  hands,  "  I 
have  disgraced  myself  beyond  the  power  of  words  to 
express  !  A  strange  man  —  an  impertinent  spy  — 
saw  it  all,  and  is  probably,  at  this  very  moment,  re- 
galing some  boon-companion  with  a  description  of 
the  whole  scene." 

For  a  moment  they  all  looked  at  each  other ;  then 
Grove  asked,  bending  much  lower  over  his  oars  than 
was  at  all  needful :  — 

"  And  why  didn't  the  blockhead  get  you  out  ?  " 

"Because,"  was  the  decisive  answer,  "I  sent  him 
away  ! " 

And  with  glowing  cheeks  and  flashing  eyes  she 
related  the  encounter. 

"O  you  foolish  child!"  cried  Madge,  at  the  end, 
feeling  that  an  opportunity  had  been  lost  for  a  bit  of 
romance.  "Who  ever  could  he  have  been?  I  should 
say  that  he  was  more  like  an  old-time  knight  than  an 
impertinent  spy.  If  you  didn't  wish  his  help,  you 
would  have  been  indignant  enough  if  he  hadn't  offered 
it!" 

"  But  he  should  have  addressed  me  in   a  respectful 


60  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

manner;  the  idea  of  his  addressing  me,  —  Chipie  Mar- 
grave,—  as 'my  poor  little  girl,' and  telling  me  not  to 
cry,  in  that  patronizing  tone  !  Why,  it  was  outra- 
geous !  "  and  Chipie's  face  grew  crimson  with  vexation. 

"  Bless  your  soul !  "  ejaculated  Grove  ;  "  do  you  sup- 
pose that  the  poor  fellow  could  recognize  in  a  little, 
screaming,  shouting  fury,  with  all  but  its  mouth  hidden 
under  that  umbrella  of  a  hat,  one  of  the  belles  of 
Washington,  as  the  'Gazette'  had  it  last  winter?" 

"  But  he  hadn't  a  bit  of  delicacy  !  If  he  had,  he 
would  have  left  me  the  moment  I  commanded  him,  for 
he  must  have  known  that  every  moment  he  stayed  made 
it  more  and  more  ridiculous.  It  was  such  mockery, 
too,  his  taking  off  his  hat  in  that  exaggerated  fash- 
ion ! " 

"  Ah  !  he  doffed  his  hat,  did  he?"  questioned  Grove. 
"  If  he  had  the  grace  to  perform  that  act  of  courtesy, 
out  of  respect  to  so  soiled  a  lady  of  the  lake,  the  shades 
of  some  right  noble  grandfathers  must  have  hovered 
above  him.  Chipie,  you  must  excuse  me,  but,  consid- 
ering that  you  are  a  girl  of  sterling  sense  and  a  fine 
development  of  brain,  you  can  be,  at  times,  a  most 
unreasonable,  illogical  specimen  of  humanity  !  Xo\v," 
he  continued,  with  a  mixture  of  amusement  and  seri- 
ousness, "be  just,  and  describe  this  persecuted  Sir 
Launcelot,  as  he  really  was  — not  as  you  please  to  con- 
sider him." 

Chipie  did  not  reply  immediately ;  she  sat  listening  in 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  6 1 

grim  abstraction  to  the  bubbling  of  the  water  in  her 
small  boots,  as  she  moved  them  slowly  up  and  down. 

"Chipie,  are  you  going  to  be  good-natured  and  do 
as  I  ask?"  repeated  Grove.  "Think  how  I've  just 
risked  my  life  to  save  you." 

"  I  wasn't  in  a  mood  to  make  a  study  of  the  gen- 
tleman," at  last  came  the  unhappy  response. 

"  Of  course  you  know  how  he  looked,"  exclaimed 
Madge.  "Did  he  have  whiskers?" 

"  Yes,"  pensively. 

"What  color  were  they,  dear?"  queried  Madge,  en- 
couragingly. 

"Brown,  —  dark  brown,"  still  more  pensively. 

"What  style  of  dress?"  put  in  Grove,  with  a  sly 
grimace  at  Kate. 

"A  shaggy  gray  suit,"  came  obediently. 

"Was  he  young  and  nice?"  asked  Madge,  with 
increasing  interest. 

"Between  thirty  and  seventy,  I  should  say,"  was  the 
ambiguous  reply. 

Whether  Chipie's  manner  and  downcast  expression 
were  the  cause  of  Grove's  renewed  hilarity  the  girls 
were  left  to  conjecture,  as,  drawing  in  his.  oars,  he 
bent  his  head  upon  them  and  gave  himself  up  to 
prolonged  shouts.  lie  attempted  to  speak,  but  failed 
signally. 

"  Well !  we  are  waiting ! "  said  Madge,  at  length, 
rather  coldly ;  her  curiosity  Avas  aroused,  and  she  re- 


62  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

garded  Grove's  interruption  as  unbecoming  at  so  vital 
a  moment. 

"O  Jove!  it's  too  much  —  too  much!"  he  finally 
gasped.  "Do  you  know,  my  sweet  child,  that  incor- 
rigible Fate  has  just  introduced  to  you  —  rather  in- 
formally, it  is  true  —  one  of  the  grandest  fellows  in 
America  ?  That  '  impertinent  spy '  was  Rogers  Ers- 
kine,  of  Baltimore  !  Kate,  you  remember  him,-?—  he 
was  at  home  when  you  were  visiting  Miss  Minton  in 
Baltimore;  you  met  him?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Kate,  faintly,  feeling  intense  pity  "for 
her  cousin,  "who,  with  pale  face,  sat  looking  at  Grove 
in  silence.  "  But,  Grove,  what  reason  have  you  for 
thinking  that  it  was  he  ?  " 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  about  it,"  replied  Grove. 
"  I  met  him  when  I  was  in  Boston  last ;  he  had  just 
come  up  from  Maine,  and,  by  the  way,  it  was  he  whom 
Donald  met  at  Bar  Harbor,  —  the  remarkable  shot  he 
raved  over." 

"  But  how  came  he  in  Saxony?  "  asked  Kate. 

"  Because  I  told  him  what  good  hunting,  in  a  modest 
way,  Saxony  boasts,  and  then  my  description  of  the 
place,  with  its  quiet,  and  bracing  air,  seemed  to 
attract  him ;  he  wanted  just  such  a  spot  to  recruit  in 
for  a  week  or  two  ;  and  Chipie's  portraiture  settles  the 
matter." 

An  April-like  atmosphere  pervaded  the  boat  by 
this  time.  First  an  hysterical  ripple  from  one  of  the 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  63 

girls,  and  then  a  sudden  outburst  from  Grove,  followed 
in  both  cases  by  an  effort  at  self-control,  for  the  sake 
of  Chipie,  who  sat  immovable,  giving  way,  every  little 
while,  to  quiet  weeping  intervals.  It  was  so  unusual 
for  her  to  cry,  under  any  circumstances,  that  the  effect 
produced  ujxm  her-  small  audience  was  far  more  agi- 
tatiiTg  than  had  it  been  Madge,  who  often  indulged  in 
tears,,,  but  always  in  a  manner  that  lent  grace  to  the 
weakness. 

Kate  had  been  for  some  time  critically  surveying  her 
cousin,  in  order  to  discover  if  recognition  under  happier 
conditions  would  be  probable.  She  decided  not, 
remembering  how  kindly  the  broad  hat  had  screened 
her  eyes ;  and  the  distorted  mouth  and  tear-stained 
complexion  certainly  bore  little  resemblance  to  the 
charm  belonging  to  both ;  while  the  voice,  raised  and 
broken  as  it  had  been,  could  not  be  connected  with 
Chipie's  natural  tones,  clear  and  spirited. 

With  a  feeling  of  relief  she  attempted  to  draw 
Chipie's  thoughts  away  from  the  mishap,  but  it  was 
useless ;  Grove  and  Madge  seemed  possessed  to  harp 
upon  it,  and,  in  spite  of  Chipie's  expression  of  distaste, 
continued  to  make  Mr.  Erskine  the  theme  of  conver- 
sation. 

"  Do  tell  us  all  about  him,"  persisted  Madge,  draw- 
ing her  skirt  closer,  that  it  might  not  be  soiled  by 
Chipie's  wet  dress.  "  Is  he  a  friend  of  yours,  Grove?" 

"  No,    I   regret   that   I    can   claim   him   only   as  an 


64  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

acquaintance.  I  met  him  for  the  first  time,  about  four 
years  ago,  in  Paris,  Avhere  I  saw  enough  of  him  to 
arouse  my  admiration,  and  since  then  we've  run  across 
each  other  occasionally.  He  is  considered  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  men  in  his  profession,  although  he  is  no 
ladies'  man,  my  little  Madge.  The  chances  are  that  he 
will  prove  more  agreeable  to  Chipie  than  to  you  ;  she, 
undoubtedly,  will  like  him." 

"  Xever  !  "  cried  Chipie,  speaking  for  the  first  time 
since  the  disclosure.  "  His  name  alone  is  detestable  to 
me.  I  wish  never  to  see  him  again." 

"  I  fear  that  your  wish  is  vain,"  said  Grove.  "  I 
gave  him  our  address,  and  asked  him  to  remember  us 
when  he  came  up.  I  said  that  we  should  all  be  at 
home  ;  that  we  were  in  for  a  lively  summer,  as  my 
sister  had  some  charming  cousins  visiting  her,  and  "  — 
but  Grove's  gravity  forsook  him,  and,  the  shore  being 
reached,  Chipie,  ignoring  all  help,  sprang  out  and  fled 
towards  the  house,  allowing  no  one  to  accompany 
her. 

"  How  provoking  that  she  couldn't  have  taken  advan- 
tage of  the  situation  ! "  exclaimed  Madge,  as  her  sister's 
figure  vanished.  "  It  might  have  been  made  quite 
affecting,  if  she  had  only  conducted  herself  properly  ; 
for,  really,  there  was  something  rather  picturesque 
in  that  hat.  But  that  she  should  have  rended  the  air 
so  unflinchingly  —  Why  !  we  heard  her  before  we  were 
out  of  the  dell ;  and  Chipie's  mouth  is  such  a  funny 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  65 

shape  when  she  cries  !  Oh,  what  must  that  man  have 
thought !  " 

"  I  wish  that  I  could  have  seen  his  face  Avhen  he  got 
behind  the  scene,"  laughed  Grove,  "  for  I'm  mistaken 
if  it  wasn't  worth  seeing;  he's  just  the  man  to  appre- 
ciate a  tableau  of  that  sort." 

A  few  hours  after,  as  Kate  and  Madge  were  walking 
through  the  orchard,  they  met  Tony  hurrying  myste- 
riously towards  an  open  field,  where  a  bonfire  of  brush 
had  been  burning  all  day;  he  carried  a  bundle  in  his 
hand,  and,  as  he  passed,  the  girls  caught  sight  of  a 
bit  of  the  fatal  reform  suit  and  a  crushed  daisy,  as  they 
looked  lingeringly  out  for  the  last  time  before  their 
cremation. 

"  Poor  child! "'  ejaculated  Kate,  looking  at  Madge. 

"  Yes,  poor  child  !  "  repeated  Madge,  returning  the 
look. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FEW  evenings  after  Chipie's  unfortunate  acci- 
dent the  girls  were  seated  in  the  charming  apart- 
ment always  spoken  of  as  the  "  Queen-mother's 
room."  It  was  brilliantly  lighted  by  candles,  which 
shed  their  rays  softly  from  the  glittering  sconces,  bring- 
ing out  to  perfection  the  mellow  coloring  of  the  Persian 
rug,  and  tenderly  bathing  the  beautiful  face  of  the  Venus 
Milo,  near  which  Kate  was  half  reclining  in  an  arm-chair, 
with  Major's  head  resting  upon  her  knee. 

Madge  formed  a  cheerful  picture,  surrounded  by 
bright  floss  silks  and  gay  bits  of  velvet,  which  she  was 
deftly  converting  into  griffins,  frogs,  and  butterilies,  to 
further  adorn  the  piece  of  Turkish  cloth,  already  start- 
ling in  monstrous- creations. 

Winny,  at  one  end  of  the  room,  was  bending  intently 
over  "The  Ancient  Mariner,"  lost  to  everything  but 
Dore's  weird  illustrations ;  while  Chipie  sat  at  the 
piano,  playing  snatches  of  song,  or  joining  in  the  frag- 
mentary conversation,  as  the  mood  seized  her. 

f'  What  has  happened  to  have  kept  Grove  away  so 
long,  I  wonder?"  exclaimed  Maggie,  presently.  "  He 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  6/ 

said  he  would  be  here  by  half-past  seven  at  the  latest, 
and  now  it  is  after  eight !  " 

"  Did  he  go  on  horseback?"  asked  Kate. 

"Yes.  I  dare  say  he  has  forgotten  all  about  his 
promise,  the  evening  is  so  lovely.  It  is  too  bad  in  him 
when  he  knows  that  auntie  and  Uncle  Malcolm  are  away. 
There,  girls,  doesn't  this  scarlet  frog  look  pretty  against 
the  ecru?  Kate,  why  do  you  never  make  these  lovely 
things?  One  can  do  them  so  quickly,  and  they  add  so 
much  to  one's  room  !  " 

"I?  Oh,  you  know  I've  never  been  able  to  get  up 
any  enthusiasm  over  fancy  work  !  There  is  something 
irritating  to  me  in  the  mere  thought  of  devoting  so  much 
time  and  patience  to  anything  of  the  kind  ;  it  is  ever  so 
pretty,  but  I  believe  that  my  ardor  in  that  direction 
was  quenched  in  my  infantile  days,  when  I  found  that 
the  innumerable  tidies  which  I  used  to  crochet  for 
mamma  for  Christmas  gifts  had  to  be  transferred  to 
papa  for  smoking- caps.  I  never  could  make  them  flat, 
and  it  is  a  mystery  to  me,  even  now,  how  it  is  done." 

"What  a  funny  girl  you  are,  Kate!"  said  Madge, 
regarding  her  cousin  as  if  she  were  an  enigma.  "  It 
must  be  because  you  are  an  artist,  and  live  so  much  in 
the  clouds  ;  you  don't  let  yourself  down  into  the  frivoli- 
ties of  life,  as  Chipie  would  say,  enough  to  find  out  how 
very  nice  they  are.  You  look  upon  so  many  of  the  things 
which  girls  usually  delight  in  as  if  they  amounted  to 
nothing.  Why,  I  couldn't  survive  a  week  without 


68  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

them!  But,  of  course,"  she  added,  as  in  duty  bound, 
"  I  am  very  fond  of  Nature  and  Art  also  !  " 

Kate  smiled  curiously,  and  stroked  Major's  silken 
ears  ;  she  made  no  reply,  and  Chipie  broke  the  silence 
by  saying,  as  she  turned  from  the  piano  :  — 

"Kate,  is  this  really  a  settled  plan?  Have  you  made 
up  your  mind  to  give  up  society  and  become  an  artist, 
in  thorough  earnest  ?  " 

"Most  assuredly  I  have,  Chipie.  Why  are  you  so 
incredulous,  when  you  know  that  it  is  what  I  care  most 
for  in  the  world?  It  has  been  my  dream  from  a  child.'' 

"  But  society  can't  spare  you  ;  she  needs  you,  and  will 
rebel  at  your  desertion.  Only  those  who  are  neither 
handsome  nor  attractive  should  be  possessed  of  genius  ; 
it  is  an  unfair  monopoly  for  the  studio  to  claim  every- 
thing ! " 

"Aren't  you  rather  uncharitable  to  the  poor  studio, 
my  dear  cousin?"  asked  Kate. 

"I'm  quite  charitable  enough!  It  is  too  bad  to  de- 
fraud society  of  any  influence  which  would  help  to  better 
it,  —  you  were  saying  so  yourself,  only  a  day  or  two 
ago.  Now,  why  do  you,  instead  of  doing  your  share 
towards  the  reformation,  propose  shutting  yourself  up 
in  a  studio,  giving  your  time  and  thought  to  that,  and 
where  only  a  chosen  few  may  ever  gain  access  to  you?  " 

"  Oh,  I  haven't  an  idea  of  becoming  the  recluse  which 
you  seem  to  have  in  mind.  As  for  the  benefit  which 
Kate  Sturgis  would  confer  upon  society,  I  doubt  if 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  69 

either  it,  or  she,  would  receive  any  lasting  inspiration 
for  good,  were  she  to  continue  in  it,  dancing  the  coining 
years  away  as  she  has  much  of  the  last  two.  Possibly 
it  might  result  in  bringing  about  a  new  order  of  things  ; 
but  I'm  inclined  to  be  sceptical,"  was  the  laughing 
rejoinder. 

"Everybody  thinks  it  so  strange,"  said  Madge,  "that 
any  one  so  rich  and  charming  as  yourself  should  be 
content  to  give  up  society  life,  with  all  its  enjoyments 
for  a  career ;  they  fancy  that  it  is  only  a  freak  which 
will  wear  itself  out  after  a  while." 

Kate  was  amused  at  the  apparent  disfavor  with  which 
her  decision  was  regarded,  and  said  merrily  :  — 

"  Does  '  everybody '  include  the  inhabitants  of  both 
hemispheres  ?  " 

"  Don't  be  provoking,  Kate  !  " 

"  I  haven't  a  thought  of  it,  Madge  ;  only  it  is  laugh- 
able,—  the  commotion  which  a  girl  causes,  if  she  hap- 
pens to  feel  that  there  are  pleasures  and  ambitions  ex- 
tant, quite  as  desirable  and  compensatory  as  the  formula 
which  fashionable  life  offers, —  dressing,  dancing,  call- 
ing, gossiping,  flirting,  and  —  marriage;  the  last  con- 
sidered compulsory,  of  course  !  " 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  speak  in  that  superior  way, 
Kite ;  it  isn't  agreeable,"  said  Madge,  peevishly. 
"  Besides,  it  isn't  fair  to  denounce  the  circle  in  which 
you  were  born,  and  have  lived  and  enjoyed  yourself  all 
your  life." 


7O  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"Kate  doesn't  mean  to  denounce  it,  only  to  renounce 
it,"  put  in  Chipic,  who  had  said  nothing  for  some 
minutes. 

"  You  dear  little  Madge,  I'm  not  thinking  of  calum- 
niating society  !  I'm  not  a  radical,  nor  do  I  meditate 
taking  the  veil  at  present.  I  haven't  a  doubt  that  you 
will  not  often  see  me  breaking  a  cake  at  a  quiet  kettle- 
drum ;  or  who  knows  that  I  shall  not  occasionally,  say, 
once  a  year,  indulge  in  some  more  extravagant  form  of 
gayety?  So  do  give  that  velvet  griffin  a  more  cheerful 
expression  ;  he  looks  now  as  if  I  had  been  the  means 
of  casting  a  blight  upon  his  existence." 

"Chipie,  isn't  Kate  annoying  this  evening?  Why 
doa't  you  scold  her  ?  " 

"Because,"  answered  Chipie,  resolutely,  as  she  got 
up  and  seated  herself  near  Kate,  "I  think  that  she  is 
grand  !  The  real  truth  is,  Kate,  I  admire  you,  both  for 
your  views  and  your  determination,  and  I  wish,  with  all 
my  heart,  that  I  had  some  talent  to  increase,  which 
Avould  serve  as  an  excuse  for  deserting  my  present 
ranks.  I  would  gladly  follow  your  example  ;  for  I'm 
tired  and  sick  of  living  in  a  perpetual  whirl,  frittering 
two-thirds,  and  more,  of  my  time  away  in  folly  and 
nonsense  —  making  neither  myself  nor  any  one  else  one 
whit  the  better  for  my  trouble.  But,  alas  !  I  see  no  way 
out  of  it !  Yes,  Kate,  3*011  are  a  royal  girl  to  waive  oppo- 
sition and  criticism,  and  mark  out  your  life  as  your  heart 
dictates.  You  deserve  credit  for  your  independence." 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  71 

"  Oh,  don't  praise  me  for  choosing  my  own  pleasure  ! 
No  effort  was  required,  I  assure  you.  The  only  occa- 
sion for  bravery  would  l>e,  were  I  obliged  to  give  up 
what  I  most  value,  and  go  on  living  in  conventional 
fetters.  Do  you  know,  if  our  family  pedigree  did  not 
disprove  it,  I  should  think  that  the  lawless  spirit  of  a 
gypsy  ancestry  had  been  passed  down  to  me.  But  I 
suppose  it  is  natural  perverseness,  —  my  dislike  for  being 
controlled  by  trifling  rules  and  whims  !  I  want  some 
aim  in  life,  and  perfect  freedom  in  pursuing  it.  After 
all,  life  isn't  long,  and  there  are  so  many,  so  very 
many  splendid  things  in  which  to  interest  one's  self  to 
some  purpose,  that  I  haven't  time  enough  to  waste  it 
recklessly  any  more." 

ft  I  have  in  mind  a  number  of  our  friends  who  are 
neither  frivolous  nor  thoughtless,  although  they  are 
"fashionables  !  "  remarked  Madge,  loftily. 

"I  am  sure  you  have;  we  all  have!"  cried  Kate, 
warmly.  "  Because  it  doesn't  happen  to  be  the  life  that 
appeals  to  me  individually,  — that  is  neither  satisfactory 
nor  inspiring  to  me,  —  it  is  no  reason  why  my  friend 
shouldn't  nourish  most  nobly  in  it.  Some  people,  I've 
no  doubt,  require  just  that  existence  for  development ; 
but  I'm  not  one  of  them,  that  is  all.  Comprenez  vous, 
ma  petite?" 

Madge  looked  doubtful. 

"I  agree  with  you,  Kate,"  said  Chipie,  "that  one 
ought  to  choose  the  life,  if  one  is  able,  which  promises 


/2  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

the  broadest  field  for  expansion.  But  we  can't  always 
do  this,  you  know.  Frankly,  my  dear  girl,  I'm  de- 
jected, though  you  may  not  imagine  it,  and  have  been 
so  for  months,  because  of  the  little  which  I've  accom- 
plished since  leaving  school.  The  only  thing  of  impor- 
tance —  Kate,  I  have  a  mind  to  make  you  a  confession," 
she  broke  off,  abruptly. 

"  Do  ;  I'm  sure  'twill  be  interesting." 

"  But  it  is  sub  rosd!  You  must  promise  to  be  faithful  : 
no  one  knows  it,  except  Madge  !  " 

Kate  snatched  a  rose  branch  from  a  jar  Avhich 
stood  near  and  waved  it  overhead.  "  Confess  !  "  she 
said. 

"  Well,"  responded  Chipie,  "  it  wasn't  all  a  joke,  my 
nonsensical  talk,  the  other  night,  about  my  literary 
ambitions.  In  a  certain  drawer  in  my  writing-desk 
repose  an  immense  package  of  manuscript  paper  ;  a  fine 
array  of  patent  pens ;  an  exquisite  rose-colored  satin 
pen-wiper  which  Madge  bought  at  a  fair,  and  sundry 
other  articles  of  inspiration.  I  often  open  that  drawer, 
and  think  how  nice  it  would  be  if  I  had  time  and  quiet 
at  my  command.  Does  this  give  you  encouragement 
for  the  future  ?  " 

"O  Chipie,  you  are  writing  a  book;  I  knew  it — I 
knew  it !  I've  been  suspecting  it  for  ever  so  long,  and 
your  satirical  remarks  haven't  deceived  me  in  the  least. 
Mamma  and  I  have  talked  you  over  so  many  times, 
and  have  said,  again  and  again,  that  you  would  surprise 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  73 

us  some  day  by  presenting  us  with  a  grand  novel.  Now, 
what  is  it  about  ?  " 

Here  the  earnest  girl  talk  was  interrupted  by  the 
sound  of  horses'  hoofs  on  the  driveway,  and,  crossing 
the  room,  Kate  drew  aside  the  curtain  and  looked  out. 

"It  is  Grove,  I  suppose.  But  some  one  is  with  him ; 
did  Donald  go,  too,  Madge?" 

"  No,  it  can't  be  he,  for  he  was  in  his  room  mending 
his  tishing-rod  long  after  Grove  left  the  house." 

The  horsemen  now  appeared  from  behind  the  trees, 
and  by  the  light  of  the  moon  Kate  recognized  Grove 
and  Mr.  Erskine.  She  turned  quickly  from  the  win- 
dow, and  glanced  with  an  expression  of  amusement  and 
anxiety  towards  the  unconscious  Chipie,  who  had  re- 
seated herself  at  the  piano,  with  an  air  of  abstraction, 
her  thoughts  intent  on  the  subject  just  dropped ;  she 
had  absently  taken  up  a  sheet  of  music,  and  when  Kate 
advanced  slowly  towards  her  she  was  vacantly  reiter- 
ating: "Love  may  come  to-morrow,  but  I'll  be  free 
to-day." 

Kate  was  in  doubt  whether  to  prepare  her  for  the 
meeting  or  not ;  but  finally  she  decided  that  she  would, 
and,  stepping  behind  her,  she  said  calmly  :  — 

"  Chipie,  you  look  charming  this  evening.  I'm  so 
proud  of  you  ;  but  now  we  are  to  have  an  interruption 
to  our  wise  talk.  Grove  is  bringing  in  a  caller." 

"  Whom  ?  "   was  the  indifferent  interrogation. 

"Mr.  Erskine." 


74  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"  What !  "  cried  Chipie,  rising  excitedly  and  turning 
pale.  "  That  man  !  I  shall  go  to  my  room  this  minute  !  " 

"Chipie,  you  must"  — 

"No,  no,  Kate,  don't  urge  me  to  remain.  I  will  not 
meet  him  !  I  will  not  humiliate  myself  by  allowing  an 
opportunity  for  recognition." 

"  But,  dear  child,  you  will  be  sure  to  meet  him  in 
some  way  !  He  may  be  in  town  a  week  or  two  longer, 
and,  if  he  is,  you  can't  escape  him.  Come,  dear,  have 
it  over  at  once,  and  be  your  own  witty,  vivacious  self. 
The  keenest  detective  in  the  world  would  never  dis- 
cover a  line  about  you,  this  evening,  to  tell  the  tale  of 
woe.  Kecognition  is  impossible  !  Look  for  yourself." 

Kate  drew  the  hesitating  figure  towards  the  long 
mirror.  Chipie's  first  glance  was  rebellious  ;  but  her 
expression  gradually  changed  into  comparative  serenity, 
as  she  realized  how  little  occasion  there  was  for  appre- 
hension. 

Certainly  no  resemblance  could  be  traced  between 
the  damp  heroine  of  the  pool  and  the  piquant  brunette, 
with  her  dark  hair  drawn  in  graceful  waves  into  a  low 
Sappho,  and  kept  in  place  by  a  golden  comb  ;  her  dress, 
of  black,  lacy  material,  fell  in  clinging  folds  of  drapery 
about  her,  and  was  relieved  from  any  hint  of  sombre- 
ness  by  an  airy  spray  of  scarlet  blossoms  at  her  throat. 

"There,  charmer,  you  won't  persist  in  hiding  the 
light  of  your  countenance  from  us,  after  that  flattering 
response !  " 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  75 

"  Of  course  I  can  do  nothing  but  succumb  now,  for 
'tis  too  lute  to  retreat ;  I  hear  them  coming ;  but  re- 
member, if  I  am  betrayed,  you  shall  bear  the  penalty." 

Clasping  her  hands  in  half  dread,  half  jest,  she  sat 
down  under  the  full  light  of  a  blazing  sconce,  and  pre- 
pared to  meet  her  trial  like  a  Spartan.  She  had  ac- 
cepted the  position,  and  she  would  permit  no  craven 
promptings  to  lure  her  into  a  shadowy  corner  ;  under 
the  direct  light  of  a  dozen  candles  she  would  await  her 
fate. 

With  eyes  snapping  with  suppressed  glee  Grove  en- 
tered the  room,  followed  by  Mr.  Erskine,  and,  advanc- 
ing towards  his  sister,  said  heartily  :  — 

"  Kate,  you  will  be  glad  to  meet  an  old  acquaintance  ! 
—  Mr.  'Erskine,  whom  I've  had  the  happy  fortune  to 
meet  this  evening." 

Kate  stepped  forward  in  her  bright,  unaffected  way, 
and,  extending  her  hand  cordially,  said:  — 

"This  is  a  very  great  pleasure,  Mr.  Erskine!  My 
brother  told  us  that  you  were  planning  to  visit  this 
rural  region,  and  we've  been  hoping  to  welcome  you  to 
our  retreat." 

With  a  courtly  bow,  not  unlike  the  bow  which  Chipie 
had  received  a  few  days  previously,  Kate's  greeting  was 
returned,  and  then  followed  introductions. 

Madge  was  charming,  as  a  matter  of  course  ;  and 
Chipie  was  radiant.  There  was  a  suggestion  of  haugh- 
tiness as  she  inclined  her  head,  but  the  beautiful  eyes 


76  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

glowed  and  the  teeth  flashed,  lending  such  animation  to 
her  face  that  Grove  could  not  repress  the  exclamation 
to  Kate  :  — 

"  Jove  !  isn't  she  immense  to-night  ?  " 

"  And  what  happy  chance  brought  about  this  meet- 
ing?" asked  Kate,  with  interest.  "  Were  you  on  your 
way  to  Chavenage,  Mr.  Erskine,  when  my  brother  met 
you?  " 

"No,  Miss  Sturgis,  I'm  entirely  indebted  to  good  For- 
tune for  this  pleasure.  I  hadn't  anticipated  it  for  some 
days  to  come,  not  knowing  that  you  were  a  near  neigh- 
bor. Your  brother  spoke  of  Chavenage  as  being  in 
Wilmingham,  and  I  wasn't  aware  until  an  hour  ago 
that  Saxony  is  included  in  the  township.  I  inquired 
the  distance  to  Wilmingham  Centre  this  morning,  and 
was  told  that  it  was  twelve  miles  north." 

"  Your  guide  was  certainly  a  stranger  in  this  vicin- 
ity," answered  Kate,  smiling.  "  Wilmingham  Centre  is 
exactly  two  miles  west  of  Saxony." 

"  It  was  such  a  fortunate  chance  that  led  me  to  take 
the  old  ridge  road  back,"  said  Grove.  "  It  was  there 
by  the  red  bridge  that  I  found  Mr.  Erskine  enjoying 
Chipie's  favorite  view  of  the  river.  My  cousin  consid- 
ers that  one  of  the  prettiest  points  in  Saxony,  Mr. 
Erskine." 

"  Indeed  !  I'm  glad  to  know  that  I  had  a  right  to  all 
the  pleasure  that  it  gave  me,"  said  Mr.  Erskine,  bow- 
ing to  Chipie,  "  for  I  had  begun  to  be  suspicious  of  the 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  77 

moon.  I  think  that  Saxony  must  be  rich  in  beauty, 
judging  from  all  that  I  have  seen  during  the  few  days 
that  I  have  been  here." 

"  Are  you  camping,  Mr.  Erskine?"  asked  Madge. 

"  No  ;  I  found  that  it  wasn't  as  much  of  a  wilderness 
as  I  had  anticipated  from  your  cousin's  report ;  so  I  am 
established  in  a  pretty  little  cottage,  with  an  untamed 
colt  at  my  service,  where  I  mean  to  spend  a  fortnight  or 
so  in  purely  pastoral  enjoyment  and  rest.  I  am  a  near 
neighbor,  Mr.  Sturgis  tells  me ;  less  than  a  mile,  I 
think  you  said,  Mr.  Sturgis?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Grove.  "  It  is  that  pretty,  wild-looking 
little  cottage,  Kate,  where  old  Mrs.  Leman  and  her  young 
grandson  live,  just  the  other  side  of  the  Winthrops." 

"  The  place  where  there  is  a  flower-garden  which  is 
my  ideal  of  what  a  flower-garden  should  be,"  said  Kate, 
smiling.  "  The  seeds  are  sown  broadcast,  and  are 
allowed  to  have  their  own  way  in  everything  ;  the  only 
care  that  is  bestowed  upon  them  is  that  of  keeping  them 
free  from  weeds.  I  enjoy  that  tangle  of  color  more 
than  any  other  garden  in  town." 

•"Miss  Sturgis,  you  have  a  beautiful  home  among  the 
hills  and  lakes,"  said  Mr.  Erskine.  "It  was  like  an  en- 
chanted place,  as  we  entered  the  avenue,  —  the  moon- 
light and  quiet  were  perfect.  I  could  not  help  contrast- 
ing it  with  the  scene  of  our  last  meeting,  in  Baltimore." 

"  At  my  friend  Dolly's  reception  !  "  said  Kate  ;  and 
then  they  became  engrossed  in  conversation,  leaving 


78  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

Madge,  who  h;id  recommenced  her  velvet  creations,  an 
opportunity  for  taking  an  inventory  of  her  vis-d-vis.  He 
was  above  medium  height,  finely  proportioned,  and  now, 
as  he  sat  with  head  thrown  back  and  face  lighted  with  in- 
terest, Madge  did  not  hesitate  to  cede  him  her  approval. 

"His  eyes  are  remarkable,"  she  mused;  "  Chipie 
must  admit  that,  notwithstanding  her  prejudice ;  they 
are  the  large  gray  eyes,  that  she  admires  so  much." 

Then  the  nose  and  mouth  were  critically  examined, 
as  she  endowed  a  katydid  with  Albino  eyes ;  they 
were  both  finely  cut,  she  saw,  and  possessed  a  .slight 
expression  of  hauteur,  which  found  favor;  while  the 
teeth  were  as  dazzling  as  Chipie's  own. 

In  the  midst  of  her  contemplations  Donald  came 
in,  his  face  flushed  with  expectation.  He  had  recog- 
nized the  voice,  and,  with  boyish  demonstrations  of 
pleasure,  he  seized  Mr.  Erskine's  outstretched  hand. 

"  So  these  were  the  attractions,  my  little  man,  which 
drew  you  away  from  our  fishing-haunts  !  I  now  un- 
derstand the  Avillingness  with  which  you  left  your 
P.  P.  C.  for  those  trout !  " 

''But,  Mr.  Erskine,  it's  all  Greek  to  me,  —  did  you 
know  Grove  or  the  girls?  You  didn't  say  anything 
about  them  ! " 

"And  you  were  equally  uncommunicative,  young 
man !  You  gave  me  no  opportunity  for  '  saying  any- 
thing,' or  I  certainly  should  have  improved  it." 

The   reunion    put   Donald   into    high    spirits,    and, 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  79 

during  the  explanation  which  followed,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sturgis,  having  returned  from  a  call,  came  in,  and 
the  conversation  became  general.  The  time  flew  by 
pleasantly,  and  nobody  thought  of  its  being  late  until 
the  great  hall  clock  struck  eleven.  Mr.  Erskine  arose 
with  a  slight  exclamation  of  surprise,  and  prepared  to 
say  "Good-night." 

"That  presumptuous  clock,  Mr.  Erskine,  is  the  only 
time-reminder  which  we  have  at  Chavenage,"  re- 
marked Mrs.  Sturgis,  smilingly.  "  We  don't  approve 
of  it  in  the  least,  and  are  thinking  seriously  of  prohib- 
iting its  interference  by  violent  means." 

"Indeed,  I  beg  of  you,  do  not  do  that,  —  if  only  for 
the  reputation  of  your  callers,"  was  the  courteous 
reply  ;  and  with  a  final  "  Good-night,"  and  a  cordial 
assurance,  that  Chavenage  welcomed  its  friends  at  all 
times,  from  his  hostess,  Mr.  Erskine  mounted  the 
dancing  colt  which  Cresar  had  brought  up,  and  wended 
his  way,  as  slowly  as  the  antic  animal  would  permit, 
towards  his  new  home. 

It  required  considerable  exertion  to  keep  the  un- 
tamed creature  in  hand,  and  by  the  time  that  he 
reached  his  quaint  little  bedroom,  with  its  chintz 
hangings,  sleep  was  for  a  time  quite  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. Accordingly  he  drew  out  the  prim  hour-glass 
table,  which,  in  a  feeble  way,  graced  one  side  of  the 
room,  and  began  a  letter  to  his  only  sister,  Mrs.  Bur- 
lingame,  part  of  which  ran  thus:  — 


80  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

I  cannot  give  you  as  glowing  a  report  of  my  fishing  success  as 
when  I  wrote  you  from  Maine ;  but  doubtless  you  consider  that 
I  wore  the  subject  threadbare  at  that  time,  and  are  willing  to 
forego  further  eloquence  in  the  same  direction.  The  country  in 
this  region  is  pretty,  and  new  to  me ;  the  air  is  bracing,  and  the 
quiet  is  what  I  particularly  crave ;  so  I '  shall  remain  in  my 
present  comfortable  nest  for  a  week  or  two,  and  see  what  rest 
will  do  for  me. 

I  spend  my  days  roving  the  woods  like  :m  Indian,  and  —  but 
that  reminds  me,  Caroline,  of  an  incident  that  occurred  the 
morhing  of  my  arrival  here,  and  which,  you  will  agree,  is  worth 
mention.  Foraging  after  game,  my  attention  was  suddenly 
attracted  by  cries  of  distress,  and,  following  in  their  direction,  I 
presently  came  upon  a  sight  which  for  pure  comicality  was 
never  surpassed  by  Cruikshank  himself.  In  the  middle  of  a 
small  duck-pond,  surrounded  by  rank  vegetation,  I  descried  a 
figure,  or,  rather,  ahead,  a  pair  of  shoulders  and  two  hands,  one 
grasping  the  branch  of  an  overhanging  tree,  and  the  other 
clutching  a  tremendous  bunch  of  pond-lilies.  The  expression 
of  the  face,  or  I  should  say  the  mouth,  as  that  was  all  that  was 
visible  from  under  the  odd  affair  which  adorned  the  head,  was 
indescribable.  I  essayed  to  question  the  apparition  ;  but  my  first 
venture  was  drowned  by  the  cries  and  wails  which  issued  from 
the  triangular  feature  before  me.  As  I  gazed,  stupefied  for  a 
moment,  I  confess,  the  atmosphere  grew  dark  with  frogs  of 
every  size  and  hue,  which  leaped  and  splashed  about  their 
charmer,  mingling  their  croaks  in  horrible  discoi'd.  Was  it  a 
witch,  conjuring  up  ingredients  for  her  favorite  broth  ?  I  asked 
myself-.  But  a  minute's  reflection  dissipated  the  idea,  and  con- 
vinced me  that  the  little  tempest  could  only  be  a  child  of  ten  or 
a  dozen  years;  as  such,  I  addressed  her,  as  I  hastened  to  — 

Here  the  scene  came  so  vividly  before  the  writer 
that  he  threw  down  his  pen,  and  laughed  as  long  and 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  8 1 

as  loud  as  he  dared,  remembering  the  hour  and  the 
dimensions  of  the  cottage.  Presently  the  pen  was  re- 
sumed, and  for  some  time  continued  to  move  rapidly, 
while  the  eyes  following  it  flashed  suggestively ; 
finally  it  stopped,  and,  turning  to  the  opening  page, 
Mr.  Erskine  ran  his  eye  over  it,  and  then  added, 
before  annexing  his  signature  :  — 

I  seem  to  be  in  for  surprises  of  one  kind  or  another!  This 
evening  I  ran  across  an  old  acquaintance,  — Sturgis,  by  name, — 
accepted  his  invitation  to  accompany  him  home,  and  by  so  doing, 
found  mj'self  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  most  charming  family 
circles  I  have  ever  met.  I  became  somewhat  interested  in  a 
Miss  Margrave,  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Sturgis,  because  of  a  resemblance 
about  the  mouth  and  chin  to  yourself,  my  dear  sister ;  but  there 
the  likeness  ceased,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  further  ken  would 
prove  the  haughty  young  beauty  Avholly  agreeable. 

But,  zounds !  My  letter  is  become  an  old-time  novel  in  point 
of  loquacity.  So,  sparing  you  further  affliction, 

I  am,  affectionately, 

Your  devoted  brother, 

ROGERS  R.  ERSKINE. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


EARLY  a  fortnight  had  passed  since  Mr.  Ers- 
kine's  introduction  to  Chavenage,  and  during 
that  time  his  frequent  visits  had  served  to  estab- 
lish him  on  a  pleasant  and  familiar  footing  with  all  its 
inmates,  save  Chipie,  who  ignored  the  encomiums  which 
the  different  members  of  the  family  were  pleased  to 
shower  upon  him,  and  refused,  generally,  to  speak  of 
him  in  any  terms. 

As  she  was  sure,  by  this  time,  that  her  secret  was 
unknown  to  Mr.  Erskine,  there  seemed  no  reason  why 
she  should  keep  up  her  feeling  of  animosity ;  but  she 
could  not  forgive  him  the  bitter  humiliation  which  he 
had  innocently  caused  her,  nor  did  she  try,  but  went 
on  cherishing  her  indignation  and  annoyance  in  a  man- 
ner quite  foreign  to  her  forgiving  nature.  As  much  as 
common  courtesy  would  permit,  she  avoided  contact 
with  him,  telling  herself  that  "  a  barrier  had  been 
thrown  up  which  excluded  everything  but  the  barest 
civility." 

And  this  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  Grove,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Erskine,  approached  the  archery- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  83 

field,  where  the  girls  were  having  an  exciting  contest, 
and  exclaimed  breezily  :  — 

"Girls,  'tis  a  glorious  day  for  picnicking  !  AVhat  do 
you  say  to  starting,  at  once,  for  Mt.  Norcott,  and  making 
a  day  of  it?  It  isn't  ten  o'clock  yet,  and  we  can  easily 
get  off  in  half  an  hour  !  " 

The  proposal  was  received  with  pleasure  by  one  and 
all,  and  Grove,  after  holding  a  brief  consultation  with 
Kate,  went  to  the  stables  to  order  the  carriages,  leaving 
her  to  superintend  the  lunch  preparations. 

Quick  hands  and  many  soon  got  everything  in  readi- 
ness. Mr.  Erskine  took  charge  of  the  phaeton,  which 
was  to  carry  Mrs.  Sturgis,  Kate,  and  Madge ;  while 
Grove  and  Chipie,  with  the  two  children,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  somewhat  antiquated,  though  still  highly 
respectable,  vehicle  which,  in  its  day,  had  been  treated 
with  great  deference,  and  called  by  a  high-sounding 
name,  but  which 'had  since  degenerated  into  the  "ark"  ; 
however,  the  contumely  of  the  appellation  was  due  to  no 
lack  of  dignity  in  its  possessor.  Its  capacity  for  stow- 
ing away  people  and  luggage  was  marvellous,  for  when 
hampers,  baskets,  books,  and  wraps,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  small  children,  were  packed  into  its  dim  recesses,  it 
retained  outwardly  an  air  of  stateliness  good  to  behold. 
But  it  was  only  upon  occasions  like  the  present  that  its 
worth  was  allowed  to  exhibit  itself. 

"I'm  sure,  it  is  a  baronial-looking  establishment,"  said 
Chipie,  as  Grove  touched  up  the  sleek  grays,  and  took 


84  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

the  lead.  "It  is  a  shame  to  keep  it  poked  away,  as  you  do  ; 
you  haven't  another  carriage  with  springs  like  these,  and 
I  shall  certainly  patronize  it  a  great  deal  this  summer." 

Mt.  Norcott  was  a  pretty  elevation,  situated  seven  or 
eight  miles  from  Saxony.  It  had  the  honor  of  being 
registered  in  the  "Massachusetts  Gazetteer"  as  Mt. 
Xorcott,  and,  as  it  was  the  only  approach  to  a  mountain 
in  the  vicinity,  it  was  regarded  with  deep  respect  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  towns.  The  steep, 
winding  road,  leading  up  one  side,  was  so  shut  in  on 
both  sides  by  trees  that  until  more  than  half  way  up 
nothing  could  be  seen  but  a  mass  of  living  green.  The 
road  finally  opened  upon  a  rocky  hill-side,  thinly  scat- 
tered by  gnarled  oaks  and  chestnuts,  and  at  this  point, 
as  the  carriages  could  go  no  farther,  the  horses  were 
taken  out,  and  the  remainder  of  the  ascent  made  on  foot. 
The  circuitous  footpath  was  rugged  and  overgrown  with 
bushes  ;  but  all  the  way,  after  leaving  the  open  hill,  the 
view  became  prettier  and  wilder. 

Kate  was  in  her  element  up  amongst  the  clouds  and 
breezes,  and  sped  on  without  waiting  for  the  others  ;  a 
sudden  bend  in  the  path  brought  her  into  sight  as  she 
stood  upon  an  overhanging  rock,  her  lithe  figure  out- 
lined against  the  sky,  revelling  in  the  beauty  around 
her ;  with  one  hand  grasping  her  stair',  the  other  held 
high  above  her  head,  she  sent  forth,  in  a  clear  voice,  the 
jodel.  She  waited  for  the  echo  to  die  away,  and  then 
exclaimed,  as  the  others  approached  :  — 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  85 

"Oh,  how  can  you  walk  so  slowly?  I  want  Mr. 
Erskine  to  get  the  view  from  just  this  point,  for  it  is  the 
most  satisfying  on  the  mountain.  There  !  isn't  it  worth 
the  climb  and  the  briars,  and  aren't  Monadnock  andWa- 
chusett  lovely  in  the  distance?" 

"  Sisterine,  aren't  you,  as  usual,  rather  extravagant 
in  your  admiration  of  this  mound?"  asked  Grove,  with 
aggravating  mildness  ;  and  then  he  added,  "  I  believe  that 
Kate  began  this  worship  in  her  cradle,  didn't  she^ 
motherdy  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Sturgis,  with  a  smile,  "she  was 
hardly  more  than  out  of  it  when  she  conceived  the  idea 
that  it  was  Mont  Blanc,  Her  first  words  in  the  morn- 
ing were  always,  f  Dod  bess  dee  Mong  Bang.'  It  never 
occurred  to  me  that  it  was  other  than  a  fancy  which  had 
caused  her  to  adopt  the  name.  Her  primer  having  told 
her  that  Mt.  Blanc  was  the  largest  mountain  in  the 
world,  and  Saxony  being  the  world  to  her  little  mind, 
the  mistake  was  natural  enough  ;  but,  oh,  what  a  pitiable 
little  face  confronted  me  when,  at  the  age  of  seven,  the 
child  beheld  the  genuine  Mont  Blanc  !  In  a  passion  of 
tears  she  flew  into  my  arms,  crying, '  O  mamma,  mamma, 
it  isn't  fair  —  it  isn't  fair  to  my  own  mountain  at 
home  !  I  called  it  Mong  Bang,  and  God  thought  I 
meant  this,  and  he  has  been  making  it  big  and  mighty 
because  I  prayed  him  to,  and  all  the  time  it  was  my 
poor  darling  at  Saxony  that  I  meant.'" 

"  My  sister's  face  was  a  study  when  she  came  home, 


86  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

three  years  later,  and  took  a  survey  of  our  ant-hill," 
added  Grove,  Avith  grave  amusement.  "  Since  then  she 
has  treated  it  with  so  much  consideration,  that  I  imagine 
she  has  never  been  able  to  entirely  divest  herself  of  the 
belief  that  her  blunder  prevented  a  white-capped,  tow- 
ering wonder  from  casting  its  shadow  over  Chavenage." 

Mr.  Erskine  seemed  affected  by  the  anecdote,  and  as 
soon  as  the  hill-top  was  gained  he  sought  Kate,  and 
together  they  enjoyed  the  wide-spread  beauty.  They 
had  become  admirable  friends  during  the  two  weeks, 
and  now,  as  ihey  stood  apart,  engaged  in  earnest  con- 
versation, a  thought  came  suddenly  to  Chipie,  and  she 
cried  to  herself,  in  dismay  :  "  Oh,  if  they  should  —  if 
they  should,  and  I  should  be  obliged  to  like  Mr.  Erskine, 
for  Kate's  sake." 

The  idea  was  anything  but  agreeable,  and  more  than 
ever  Chipie  felt  that  this  man's  advent  into  the  summer 
life  was  a  calamity.  At  the  same  time  her  curiosity 
was  awakened  ;  could  it  be  that  Mr.  Erskine  possessed 
power  to  attract  Kate, — Kate,  whose  ideas  of  what  a 
gentleman  should  be  were  so  exalted?  With  a  new 
feeling  of  interest  her  eyes  wandered  towards  the  two 
figures,  and  rested  there  thoughtfully.  She  could  not 
see  their  faces,  but  suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  what 
seemed  to  be  a  very  engrossing  subject,  Kate  turned 
and  made  a  laughing  motion  towards  herself,  and  almost 
directly  Mr.  Erskine  advanced  towards  where  she  was 
sitting,  perched  upon  a  rock.  She  was  annoyed,  but  she 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  8/ 

sat  calmly  and  waited  for  the  opening  remark,  which 
came  with  the  usual  courteousness. 

"  Miss  Margrave,  your  cousin  tells  me  that  you  are  a 
famous  botanist.  Will  you  help  me,  please,  to  name 
this  stanch  little  flower?  I  found  it  blooming  all  by 
itself,  under  that  old  chestnut  yonder." 

"Did  my  cousin  refuse  to  aid  you?"  asked  Chipie, 
with  a  little  laugh,  as  if  anticipating  the  reply. 

"  Absolutely  declined,"  said  Mr.  Erskine.  "  Miss 
Sturgis  thinks  it  a  heinous  crime  to  pry  into  the  secrets 
of  the  Posy  family ;  then  you  do  not  sympathize  with 
her?" 

"No,"  said  Chipie,  with  a  defiant  little  gesture,  "I 
enjoy  probing  the  hearts  of  the  defenceless  things.  I  do 
not  understand  my  cousin's  sentiment  regarding  them  ; 
she  thinks  it  desecration  to  analyze  a  flower,  believing 
that  it  takes  away  the  mystery ;  it  does  not  please  her 
to  find  how  little  space  there  is  for  her  beloved  fairy- 
folk.  Why,  Mr.  Erskine,  I  called  down  Kate's  undying 
scorn,  when  we  were  children,  by  begging  one  of  her 
closed  gentians  for  dissection,  —  for  even  at  that  early 
period  my  savage  instincts  were  developed.  You  know 
the  legend  of  the  flower  ?  " 

"  No  ;  will  you  tell  it  me?  "  asked  Mr.  Erskine. 

"Once  upon  a  time,"  began  Chipie,  with  a  smile,  "a 
fairy-queen  was  wandering  through  a  forest,  and,  becom- 
ing thirsty,  she  cast  about  for  relief,  which  she  suddenly 
espied  in  a  group  of  blue  gentian  cups  filled  with  dew  ; 


88  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

approaching,  she  bent  to  quench  her  thirst,  but  each 
cup,  in  turn,  refused  to  part  with  its  dew-drop ;  where- 
upon the  fairy  smote  the  flowers,  and,  cursing  their  kind 
forever,  forbade  them  to  open  more.  Perhaps  you  are 
aware  that,  in  consequence  of  that  sad  hour,  blindness 
has  been  their  doom  !  " 

"  I  am  not  familiar  with  the  flowers,"  said  Mr.  Ers- 
kine,  with  a  smile  ;  "  but  their  interesting  history  makes 
me  curious  to  meet  them.  Then  your  cousin  feels  that 
they  deserve  consideration,  notwithstanding  their  exhibi- 
tion of  selfishness  ! " 

"Yes,  she  thinks  that  the  sin  has  been  expiated  by 
the  years  of  suffering  shut  up  within  themselves.  Kate 
is  far  more  merciful  than  I, — I  haven't  a  particle  of 
respect  for  the  selfish  little  things,  and  I  take  real  com- 
fort in  picking  them  to  pieces,  wherever  I  find  them." 

Chipie  spoke  vindictively ;  she  was  quite  willing  to 
impress  her  companion  as  unlovely. 

A  quizzical  expression  swept  across  Mr.  Erskine's 
face,  as  he  began,  after  a  brief  pause  :  — 

"Miss  Margrave,  do  you  know  that  you  remind 
me  " 

"  Mr.  Erskine,"  called  Kate,  from  below,  "  we  need 
help  ;  will  you  and  Chipie  come  here  a  moment?  " 

Mr.  Erskine  assisted  Chipie  from  her  pinnacle,  and 
the  remark,  which  suggested  something  of  interest,  it 
being  always  interesting  to  hear  of  one's  self,  was  left 
unfinished.  Chipie  was  a  little  provoked  at  the  un- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  89 

timely  interruption,  and  was  very  much  piqued,  also, 
at  finding  herself  recurring,  again  and  again,  to  the 
uncompleted  sentence.  Of  what,  or  of  whom  had  she 
reminded  Mr.  Erskine  ?  Why  couldn't  Kate  have 
waited  a  few  minutes  longer  before  calling? 

When  she  joined  the  circle  gathered  about  the  ham- 
per, busily  engaged  in  emptying  it  of  its  tempting  con- 
tents, she  was  seized  with  a  desire  to  give  her  cousin  a 
sly  pinch ;  but,  instead,  she  took  one  end  of  the  snowy 
cloth  and  helped  to  spread  it  under  a  large  nut-tree  on 
the  highest  point  of  the  hill. 

"  Donald  should  receive  a  vote  of  thanks  for  suggest- 
ing the  feast,  at  once,"  said  Chipie,  as  she  took  the 
glasses  which  Grove  held  out  towards  her.  "  I  feel 
that  a  sandwich  is  the  one  thing  on  earth,  at  this  mo- 
ment, capable  of  making  me  quite  happy,  —  unromantic 
concession,  I  confess." 

"  Then  I  have  a  privilege  which  I  never  dared  hope 
to  command,"  said  Mr.  Erskine,  promptly,  as  he  took  a 
plate  of  delicate  sandwiches  from  Kate's  hand,  and 
offered  them  to  Chipie. 

"Oh,  but  it  cannot  be  your  privilege!  Honor  for- 
bids !  It  isn't  fair,  as  we  children  used  to  say,  for  one 
to  begin  before  all  are  ready  !  "  and  Chipie  set  the  plate 
in  its  place,  with  a  droll  smile,  while  Mr.  Erskine,  at 
Grove's  request,  began  deftly  to  help  building  a  fire- 
place. His  camping-out  experiences  had  evidently 
been  of  practical  benefit  to  him,  and  his  skill  in  all  the 


90  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

little  matters  pertaining  to  impromptu  spreads,  and  the 
necessary  culinary  arrangements,  won  him  fresh  laurels. 
In  a  wonderfully  short  space  of  time  a  tire  was  roar- 
ing in  an  imposing  fireplace  ;  the  coffee  was  sending  out 
its  delicious  aroma,  and  a  general  air  of  thriftiness  and 
good-cheer  pervaded  the  spot  which  Grove  and  Mr. 
Erskine  declared  their  special  territory  ;  and  the  ladies 
were  requested  not  to  encroach,  but  to  look  on,  from  a 
cooler  position  higher  up,  and  bestow  counsel  or  com- 
mendation, as  called  for.  They  were  all  ready  enough 
to  accede,  except  Kate,  who,  ignoring  the  oppos- 
ing voices  of  the  gentlemen,  and  unable  to  resist 
the  temptation  of  the  crackling  gypsy  fire,  marched 
laughingly  into  forbidden  ground,  with  a  basket  of 
bananas,  declaring  her  intention  of  presenting  to  the 
company  an  ambrosial  dish.  But  her  efforts  were  not 
crowned  with  the  success  she  had  hoped  for,  and,  after 
some  narrow  escapes  from  conflagration,  she  retired 
without  her  boasted  addition  to  the  banquet.  But  her 
exertions  Avere  not  allowed  to  die  unsung;  when,  in 
oriental  fashion,  the  company  drew  around  the  festal 
cloth,  the  central  dish  attracted  all  eyes.  Kate  had 
last  seen  those  black,  shrivelled-up  cinders  behind  a 
bush,  where  she  had  hustled  them  from  sight ;  but  now, 
thanks  to  Grove,  they  lay  nestled  in  oak  leaves,  and 
the  card  suspended  above  suggested  their  origin,  — 
"  Chef  d'oeuvre  de  T  artiste" 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


1  ^^  's  (l°uhtful  if  the-  old  trees,  stretching  their 
princely  canopies  so  ungrudgingly  over  the  pleas- 
ure-seekers as  they  sat  at  lunch,  had  ever  listened 
to  conversation  more  replete  with  mirth  and  wit.  Every- 
body was  happy,  and  nobody  tried  to  hide  it.  Even 
Chipie  was  so  far  affected  by  the  social  atmosphere  that 
she  listened  and  responded  to  Mr.  Erskine  with  more 
of  frank  friendliness  than  she  had  at  any  other  time 
exhibited  ;  and  after  lunch,  Grove  and  Madge,  who  had 
been  wonderingly  noting  this  new  state  of  affairs,  and 
communicating  their  wonder  to  each  other  by  the  skilful 
management  of  their  brows,  were  further  arhazed  upon 
seeing  the  two,  whom  they  had  begun  to  regard  as  an- 
tipathetic spirits,  saunter  away  by  themselves,  in  earnest 
conversation,  in  as  natural  and  unconstrained  a  fashion 
as  if  they  had  been  in  the  habit  of  sauntering  away  by 
themselves  every  day  since  their  acquaintance. 

How  far  the  afternoon's  ramble  was  efficacious  in 
subduing  Chipie's  bitterness  towards  Mr.  Erskine  no  one 
knew,  as  she  vouchsafed  no  information  upon  the  sub- 
ject ;  but  the  calumet  of  peace  was  hinted  at  in  her 


92  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

merry  face,  as  she  seated  herself  beside  Mrs.  Sturgis, 
at  the  close  of  the  day,  when  all  were  gathered  on  the 
hill-top,  for  the  crowning  pleasure, — the  sunset. 

"Kate,  if  you  have  your  folio,  why  don't  you  sketch 
that  old  tree,  for  the  panel  you  are  painting  for  moth- 
erdy?  Isn't  it  what  you  want?"  asked  Grove. 

"  The  very  thing,"  Kate  exclaimed.  "  Oh,  why  didn't 
I  think  of  it  sooner?  But,"  she  added,  looking  at  her 
watch,  "  there  is  time  now ;  will  you  go  down  to  the 
carriage  with  me,  Madge?  I  forgot  to  bring  my  folio 
up." 

"  Let  me  get  it  for  you,"  said  Grove,  rising. 

"No,  thank  you,"  answered  Kate,  "no  one  could  find 
it  but  myself;  I've  stowed  it  away  in  a  corner  sacred  to 
it  alone  ;  "  and,  without  waiting,  the  two  girls  hastened 
off. 

"If  you  will  carry  my  things,  Madge,  I'll  take  some 
wraps  to  mamma  and  the  girls ;  they  will  be  glad  of 
them,  I'm  sure,"  and,  approaching  the  carriage,  Kate 
got  in.  Madge  was  preparing  to  follow,  when  Kate 
called,  in  a  muffled  voice,  from  the  back  seat :  — 

"  Is  the  carriage  braced  ?     I  didn't  think  to  look  !  " 

But  Madge  had  already  stepped  up,  and  with  difficulty 
swung  herself  into  her  seat.  The  inclination  of  the 
ground  had  made  the  step  awkwardly  high,  and,  with- 
out thinking  of  the  consequences,  she  had  supported 
herself  upon  a  spoke  of  the  forward  wheel,  which,  sure 
enough,  had  not  been  braced.  Hardly  had  her  foot  left 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  93 

the  spoke,  when,  with  a  swerve,  the  ark  began  to  move 
slowly  forward.  Madge  did  not  realize  the  danger 
immediately,  and  Kate,  occupied  in  her  search,  noticed 
nothing,  until  an  alarmed  cry  from  her  cousin  caused 
her  to  spring  up.  A  glance  revealed  the  danger,  — 
shafts  foremost,  and  with  speed  increasing,  the  heavy 
vehicle  was  bearing  down  the  rocky  hill  in  a  direct  line 
with  the  tree  to  which  Brutus  was  fastened.  With  a 
frantic  gesture  Kate  leaned  out,  and  cried  :  — 

"  Back,  Brutus  !     Back  !  back  ! " 

Urged  on  by  the  voice,  the  horse,  who  stood,  with 
dilating  nostrils,  tearing  up  the  earth  in  terror  at  the 
on-coming  danger,  broke  from  his  halter,  and  galloped 
away  with  a  succession  of  shrill  neighs.  At  the  same 
instant  collision  with  a  tree-stump  changed  the  direc- 
tion of  the  carriage  ;  but  it  was  only  escaping  Charybdis 
to  meet  with  Scylla ;  the  steep  hill  lay  before,  and  the 
ark,  now  moving  at  great  speed,  could  but  hurl  its  help- 
less occupants  against  the  side  of  the  giant  rock  which 
loomed  up  at  the  foot. 

Madge  attempted  to  leap,  but  Kate  held  her  back  ; 
the  sharp  rocks  covering  the  hill-side  would  have  made 
a  jump  fatal ;  death  Avas  inevitable,  Kate  believed,  but 
why  plunge  into  it  of  one's  own  accord?  Grasping 
Madge's  cold  hand,  which  clutched  the  back  of  the  seat, 
she  cried  :  — 

"O  Madge,  forgive  me!  It  is  my  fault, — / 
brought  you  here!'1'' 


94  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

Crash!— 

The  shafts  had  struck  a  rock,  the  sudden  percussion 
breaking  them  off  close  to  the  axle-tree ;  the  carriage 
was  thrown  forward,  —  a  shattered  mass. 

Madge  was  precipitated  some  distance  on  one  side, 
while  Kate  lay,  face  downward,  under  the  ruins. 

The  body  of  the  carriage  had  been  turned  com- 
pletely over,  thus  breaking  the  weight  which  would 
otherwise  have  fallen  upon  Kate.  As  it  was,  the 
fall  had  stunned  both,  and  they  lay  unconscious. 
When  Kate  opened  her  eyes,  the  first  thing  of  which 
she  was  sensible  was  Major's  tongue  performing  a 
work  of  mercy  upon  her  forehead.  She  could  move 
neither  hands  nor  feet,  so  firmly  was  she  pinned  to  the 
ground  by  the  debris  ;  but,  at  a  shocked  exclamation  of 
"  Good  God,  are  you  killed?  "  she  turned  her  head,  and 
discovered  a  young  man  in  knickerbockers,  rushing 
breathlessly  towards  Madge,  who  had  also  come  to  life, 
and  was  slowly  rising.  A  minute  after,  a  second  voice 
ejaculated,  in  a  broad  nasal  twang  :  —  . 

"  By  gosh  !  Ef  this  ere  aint  a  spill,  I  never  see  one 
in  my  life  !  "  And  kind,  strong  hands  began  pulling 
away  the  doors,  windows,  baskets,  and  cushions  from 
poor  Kate's  back.  The  latter,  from  her  humble  posi- 
tion, gazed  up  to  Madge,  and  the  tableau  which  met 
her  eyes  was  so  irresistibly  ludicrous  that  she  could 
not  restrain  a  spasm  of  laughter,  although  she  was 
shocked  at  herself  for  it,  remembering  from  what  they 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  95 

h;ul  just  escaped.  But,  fortunately,  her  mirth  was 
mistaken  for  weeping,  by  the  young  countryman. 

Madge  had  been  thrown  out  with  such  violence  that 
she  had,  as  Kate  afterwards  remarked,  "  literally  bitten 
the  dust,"  and  the  clayey  loam  upon  which  she  had 
fallen  had  made  a  kindly  target  for  her  head  ;  while, 
worse  than  all,  the  preserved  blackberries,  left  in  the 
carriage,  through  forgetfulness,  shared  in  the  accident, 
and  Madge's  sensitive  nose  had  secured  one  of  them  as 
a  soothing  balm.  There  she  stood,  like  a  high-tragedy 
queen,  her  dress  torn  from  the  binding,  and  floating  in 
an  imposing  train  far  behind,  while  her  hair,  loosened 
from  its  place,  swept  in  ripples  below  her  waist. 

The  knight  of  the  knickerbockers  was  far  more  ex- 
cited, apparently,  than  either  of  the  girls,  and  his  first 
act  of  chivalry  was  to  pick  up  Madge's  comb, —  the 
pretty  shell  comb  which  Grove  had  brought  her  from 
Europe,  —  and  holding  it  by  the  one  remaining  tooth, 
which,  singularly,  was  the  middle  one,  he  passed  it  to 
Madgo,  with  a  formal  bow.  It  was  accepted  with 
perfect  composure,  and  the  short  upper  lip,  which  a 
minute  before  had  been  curled  with  pain  and  wounded 
pride,  wreathed  itself  into  a  gracious  smile,  which  would 
have  been  captivating  had  not  the  clay-besmeared  coun- 
tenance and  rubicund  nose  given  such  an  antiquated 
and  bizarre  expression. 

As  soon  as  she  could  she  retired  behind  a  tree,  and 
peeped  out  miserably  from  between  the  branches,  watch- 


96  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

ing  Kate  as  she  crawled  out  inch  by  inch,  as  one  article 
after  another  was  taken  away. 

When  she  was  finally  released,  Kate  stood  up  and 
looked  about  her.  The  young  men  were  trying  to  get 
the  body  of  the  carriage  over;  but  at  the  sound  of 
Kate's  voice  they  carnc  forward  to  hear  what  she  had 
to  say,  and,  on  learning  the  whereabouts  of  the  rest  of 
the  party,  offered  to  acquaint  them,  at  once,  of  the  ac- 
cident. The  offer  was  only  too  gladly  accepted,  for 
the  bruised  limbs  of  both  girls  cried  out  against  mak- 
ing the  ascent.  When  they  were  left  to  themselves 
they  sank  upon  the  ground,  and  stared  at  each  other 
dubiously.  Madge  began  to  cry  softly,  while  Kate 
nervously  laughed  and  tried  to  be  consoling. 

"  Madge,  are  you  very  much  hurt  ?  '' 

"My  feelings  are,"  sniffed  Madge;  "otherwise  I'm 
only  cracked  and  disreputable-looking.  But  how  ever 
did  you  get  out  alive?  It  did  look  so  dreadful  to  see 
you  buried  up  under  that  horrid  great  thing,  and  when 
you  were  crawling  out  you  looked  just  as  if  you  were 
being  turned  out  of  a  wringing-machine." 

"It  felt  about  as  comfortable,"  moaned  Kate,  with 
a  comical  face,  as  a  sharp  pain  in  her  left  arm 
reminded  her  of  the  heavy  door  which  she  had  been 
supporting.  "But,  then,  I'm  so  thankful  to  be,  at  all, 
that  I'm  ready  to  regard  the  knocks  and  bumps  as  real 
blessings.  O  Madge,  look ! "  she  continued,  with  a 
shudder.  "  We  aren't  ten  yards  from  '  Giant  Rock  ! ' 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  97 

Think  of  it !  Oh,  think  from  what  we  have  been 
saved  !  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  think  of  it,  Kate  ;  it  is  too  ghastly. 
I  could  almost  feel  my  hair  turning  white,  just  before 
the  crash  'came,"  replied  Madge,  trembling. 

It  certainly  was  of  no  use  dwelling  upon  the  fate 
from  which  they  had  been  snatched,  and,  observing 
Madge's  pale  lips,  Kate  got  up  with  as  much  spright- 
liness  as  her  bones  would  permit,  saying  cheerfully  :  — 

"Well,  Madgie  dear,  here  we  are  safe  and  whole,  and 
as  a  penance  we  are  obliged  to  return  to  the  vanity  of 
our  toilets  ;  so  let  us  go  to  the  spring  and  make  ourselves 
a  little  less  ridiculous  before  any  one  else  sees  us." 

"  I  don't  understand  how  I  happen  to  look  so  much 
worse  than  you,"  said  Madge,  gathering  up  her  dress, 
and  following  her  cousin.  "The  front  of  your  over- 
skirt  is  gone  ;  but  otherwise  you  don't  look  very  bad, 
and  here  I  am  covered  with  this  horrid  yellow  dirt, 
from  my  boots  to  the  crown  of  my  head  ;  it  is  in  my 
eyes,  and  I  actually  feel  it  grit  under  my  teeth.  What 
am  I  to  do  to  make  myself  fit  to  go  home  ?  " 

"  Brush  the  worst  of  it  off,  and  you  may  have  my 
linen  duster ;  that  will  hide  everything,  you  know." 

"  But  you  will  want  it  yourself,"  said  Madge,  bright- 
ening. 

"Xo  ;  my  overskirt  is  the  only  serious  damage,  and  I 
can  easily  arrange  that,"  Kate  answered,  as  she  stooped 
to  bathe  her  face. 


98  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"  Did  I  look  very  outrageous,  Kate  ?  "  queried  Madge, 
presently,  as  she  knelt  by  the  edge  of  the  stream.  But 
she  needed  no  verbal  answer,  her  reflection  being  suffi- 
cient. When  her  first  shock  of  mortification  was  over, 
and  she  had  finished  arranging  her  hair,  she  said,  with 
her  usual  self-complacency  :  — 

"Kate,  I  have  one  thought  to  comfort  me:  I  trust 
that  I  acquitted  myself  with  ease  and  self-possession, 
and  a  gentleman  will  always  recognize  a  lady  in  what- 
ever situation  he  may  find  her  !  " 

"  Was  that  the  reason  Mr.  Erskine  treated  Chipie  with 
such  deference  upon  a  certain  occasion?"  laughed  Kate. 

Madge  was  too  deeply  occupied  in  her  thoughts  to 
respond,  but  presently  she  exclaimed  :  — 

"How  splendidly  that  young  man  did  bear  himself, 
and  how  sympathetic  he  seemed !  I  wonder  who 
he  can  be !  Did  you  notice  those  knickerbockers, 
Kate  ?  I  think  they  are  ever  so  nice  ;  and  weren't  they 
good  not  to  smile,  when  we  must  have  looked  so  funny  ?  " 

"  Do  knickerbockers  ever  smile,  —  or  were  you 
speaking  of  our  rescuers?"  asked  Kate,  soberly,  as 
she  observed  Madge's  absorbed  manner.  "But  hurry, 
dear ;  just  put  a  pin  in  that  plaiting,  for  here  they  all 
come,  at  the  top  of  their  speed,  Grove  and  Mr.  Erskine 
leading." 

A  minute  after,  frightened  and  out  of  breath,  the 
party  came  up.  Mrs.  Sturgis  could  only  catch  the 
girls  in  her  arms  and  murmur  :  — 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  99 

"My  children,  you  are  safe  !  " 

Of  course  they  became  heroines  at  once,  and  were 
questioned,  rebuked,  kissed,  hugged,  and  praised,  — al- 
though no  one  knew  wlvy  they  were  praised,  only  it  was 
an  outlet  for  the  overflowing  gladness. 

Madge  was  thinking  that,  after  all,  it  was  rather  a  nice 
thing  to  have  happened,  as  it  had  given  an  opportunity  for 
her  power  of  elegant  self-control  to  display  itself,  when 
Mrs.  Sturgis  approached,  and  introduced  her  knight,  — 
Mr.  Godfrey,  —  Jerrold  Winthrop's  friend. 

A  clear,  straightforward  pair  of  eyes  met  Madge's. 
The  fresh,  well-formed  face  would  have  been  very  boyish 
in  its  rounded  contour,  had  not  a  dark  mustache,  in- 
cipient though  it  was,  imparted  manliness  to  it ;  it  was 
a  face  that  denoted  much  strength  of  character,  but  so 
far,  thanks  to  Dame  Fortune,  no  special  demand  had 
been  made  upon  the  latent  energy. 

Madge's  self-possession  had  evidently  elicited  his  ad- 
miration, which  did  not  diminish  at  all  upon  seeing 
her  without  the  party-colored  mask. 

It  was  insisted  that  the  unfortunate  girls  should  re- 
main quietly  by  the  brook  until  the  confusion  of  pack- 
ing up  the  scattered  goods  and  chattels  into  portable 
compass  should  be  over. 

"But  where  were  you,  Mr.  Godfrey,  when  you  first 
saw  us?"  asked  Madge.  "We  didn't  see  a  sign  of 
any  one  when  we  got  into  the  carriage." 

"  No  ;  it  all  happened  rather  curiously,"  was  the  reply. 


100  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"  About  an  hour  ago,  my  friend  Winthrop  and  myself 
were  crossing  just  above,  when  we  came  upon  your  car- 
riages. Winthrop  thought  he  recognized  the  close  one, 
and  as  we  went  along  he  began  telling  me  of  your  home 
in  Saxony,  Miss  Sturgis.  He  became  so  eloquent  on 
the  subject,  and  I  so  interested,  that  until  we  had  gotten 
a  mile  into  the  woods  we  forgot  that  we  were  there  for 
the  purpose  of  tracking  a  pair  of  foxes  which  we  caught 
sight  of  this  morning.  Then  I  missed  my  large  revolv- 
er, and  went  back  to  look  for  it,  for  I  knew  I  had  it 
when  we  entered  the  woods ;  I  found  it  where  I  had 
dropped  it,  in  jumping  a  wall,  and  was  just  turning  in 
again,  when  I  heard  a  loud  neighing,  as  if  there  were 
trouble  in  the  camp;  so  I  ran  to  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
and  got  there  just  in  time  to  see  the  horse  break  away, 
and  the  carriage  making  for  that  beastly  rock." 

"  Could  you  see  us?"  asked  Kate. 

"  No,  I  wasn't  sure  that  any  one  was  in  it,  at  first,  — 
I  didn't  know  why  there  should  be,  — but  afterwards  I 
thought  that  I  heard  voices ;  then  came  the  smash  !  '' 

"Did  you  think  that  we  were  killed?"  asked  Madge, 
softly. 

"I  never  was  so  frightened  in  my  life,"  was  the 
simple  answer,  "  as  I  Avas  when  I  saw  Miss  Margrave 
fly  out.  I  didn't  see  you,  Miss  Sturgis,  until  I  got  in 
front  of  the  ruins." 

"I'm  so  glad  that  you  happened  to  be  here,"  said 
Madge,  prettily.  "  I  don't  know  what  we  should  have 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  IOI 

done  without  you,  for  I  never  could  have  walked  up 
that  hill ;  could  you,  Kate?" 

"  Judging  from  the  difficult}' I  had  in  getting  up  from 
the  ground,  no  ! "  Kate  replied,  smiling ;  and  then  she 
added,  f;  I  wonder  Avhere  that  man  who  helped  me  so 
kindly  could  have  disappeared  to.  I  wanted  to  thank 
him  properly,  for  I  am  afraid  that  my  fright  made  me 
appear  very  ungrateful." 

"Indeed,  it  did  not,  Miss  Sturgis ;  both  you  and 
your  cousin  were  glorious  through  it  all.  Most  young 
ladies  would  have  gone  into  hysterics,  and  frightened  a 
fellow  out  of  his  wits." 

Madge  was  thankful  that  she  had  reserved  her  tears 
for  the  shadow  of  the  tree-trunk,  and  smiled  bewitch- 
ingly  at  Mr.  Godfrey's  compliment. 

A  little  later,  Grove,  much  heated  from  his  exertion, 
joined  the  trio. 

"  Mr.  Godfrey,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  am  sorry  that  your 
first  meeting  with  my  friends  should  be  under  such  per- 
turbed circumstances ;  but  we  promise  you  a  more 
cheerful  reception  when  Ave  welcome  you  to  our  home, 
which  I  hope  may  be  soon.  But  how  is  it  that  you  are 
prowling  about  Norcott?  Where  is  Winthrop?  I 
fancied  you  miles  from  here." 

"We  came  up,  last  night,  on  our  way  to  Saxony," 
said  Mr.  Godfrey.  "To-day  ends  our  bivouacking." 

"I  didn't  suppose  Winthrop  equal  to  such  a  stretch," 
said  Grove,  laughing. 


IO2  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

"It  is  a  sort  of  recreation  rather  out  of  his  line," 
replied  Mr.  Godfrey.  "  It  was  good-natured  in  the  old 
fello\v  to  humor  me  ;  but  I  think  it  has  done  him  good, 
although  he  has  devoted  rather  too  much  of  his  attention 
to  a  certain  mummy  of  a  classic  which  never  leaves  his 
pocket,  or,  I  should  say,  his  company,  for  it  leaves  his 
pocket  a  great  deal  too  often  for  my  fancy." 

Mrs.  Sturgis  was  now  seen  beckoning,  and  waving  her 
hand  toward  the  failing  west. 

"  Can  I  do  anything  to  help  you  ?  "  asked  Mr.  God- 
frey, as  he  got  up  to  go. 

fc  Thank  you,  we  shall  get  on  very  well,"  replied 
Grove.  "  Mr.  Erskine  will  take  charge  of  my  mother 
and  the  heroines,  arid  as  for  the  rest  of  us,  I  think,  with- 
out doubt,  that  we  can  secure  sometJiiny  on  wheels  at  an 
old  house  at  the  foot  of  the  hill." 

"Isn't  he  nice?"  Madge  said,  confidentially,  to  Kate, 
as  she  threw  herself  back  in  the  phaeton,  as  soon  as  Mr. 
Godfrey  had  stated  his  plans,  and  said  good-by.  fr  It 
seems  as  if  he  were  an  old  friend  already;  and,  oh, 
what  fun  it  has  been  ! " 

Madge  seemed  in  a  much  merrier  mood,  as  she  sat 
back  against  the  soft  cushions,  murmuring  rhapsodical 
little  remarks  in  Kate's  ear,  than  did  poor  Chipie  and 
the  other  pedestrians,  as  they  toiled  down  the  rough 
hill,  laden  with  the  things  which  they  dared  not  leave 
behind,  and  which  could  n6t  be  crowded  into  the  phae- 
ton. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  IO3 

But,  fortunately,  a  large  carryall  was  secured  from  the 
farm-house,  and,  after  much  waiting  and  confusion,  the 
horses'  heads  were  finally  turned  homeward.  As  Chipie 
rode  along,  thinking  over  the  accident  Avhich  had  come 
so  near  being  tragic,  she  wondered  if  Madge  and  Kate 
appreciated  the  care  and  forethought  which  Mr.  Erskine 
had  shown  for  their  comfort.  How  serious  he  had  been 
through  it  all  !  Chipie  had  not  seen  him  smile  once 
since  Walter  Godfrey  had  rushed  upon  them  with  the 
news ! 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HE  following  morning  was  damp  and  chilly,  and 
a  spirit  of  ennui  seemed  to  have  fallen  upon 
the  group  gathered  in  the  sans-souci,  attracted 
thither  by  the  cheerful  warmth  of  the  open  fire.  Madge 
and  Kate  were  feeling  the  full  effects  of  their  catastrophe, 
and  were  ensconced  in  the  corners  of  an  hospitable  sofa, 
languidly  playing  "  Crambo."  Owing  to  the  sharp 
twinges  of  pain  from  the  indignant  bruises,  and  the  stiff 
fingers,  which  almost  refused  to  transcribe  their  brains' 
gems  of  thought,  the  poems  inclined  to  a  melancholy 
strain,  most  touching.  Life's  brevity,  sorrow,  and  disap- 
pointment, were  dwelt  upon  with  a  serenity  beautiful 
to  behold  thus  early  in  youth. 

Grove  was  lying  on  a  divan,  apparently  dozing ;  but 
suddenly,  sitting  upright,  he  exclaimed,  in  a  frenzy  :  — 

"  Quick,  quick  !  A  pencil  and  paper  !  I,  too,  have 
an  inspiration  ! " 

Madge,  startled  by  the  brisk  tone,  from  the  tristful 
mood  which  she  was  enjoying,  glanced  up,  and,  per- 
ceiving Grove's  expression,  interposed  :  — 

"Kate,  don't  let  him  have  them;  he  wants  to  turn 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  IO5 

everything  into  ridicule  with  those  nonsensical  rhymes  ; 
and  we  are  having  such  a  quiet,  dreamy  time  !  I 
thought,  Grove,  that  you  had  given  up  that  unmeaning 
pastime  long  since." 

"Nonsensical  rhymes,  do  you  say?  JVly  dear  Madge, 
you  mistake.  I  dote  on  Lear,  as  a  concise,  pithy  bi- 
ographer, and  I  would  that  his  graphic  style  were  more 
in  vogue.  Such  a  blessing  to  get  at  facts,  without 
wading  through  volumes  of  unnecessary  twaddle.  Now 
listen,"  —  and  Grove  put  down  the  pencil  which  he  had 
confiscated :  — 

"  There  was  a  young  lady  from  Town, 
Who  wished  a  steep  hill  to  ride  down ; 
So,  ignoring  the  need 
Of  employing  a  steed, 

Into  a  carriage  she  jumps, 
And  regardless  of  bumps 
She  down  the  hill  thumps, 
Which  results  in  the  dumps, — 
This  eccentric  young  lady  from  Town." 

"Kate,  I  liked  that  last  idea  of  yours,"  remarked 
Madge,  frigidly,  appearing  quite  unconscious  of  Grove's 
presence.  The  latter,  meeting  no  encouraging  response, 
even  from  Chipie,  upon  whom  he  relied  at  such  moments, 
resumed  his  former  lazy  position,  and  smiled  to  himself, 
as  he  observed  Chipie  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  room, 
taking  a  first  lesson  in  chess  from  Mr.  Erskine.  How 
it  happened  was  not  quite  clear  to  Chipie,  nor  any  one 


IO6  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

else.  It  was  a  secret  surprise  to  every  one  in  the  room, 
although  Madge  and  Grove  were  the  only  ones  who  ac- 
knowledged it  aloud,  and  they  confidentially  to  each 
other.  Chipie  had  meant  to  keep  aloof,  and,  until  the 
previous  day  had  found  no  trouble  in  doing  so  ;  but  her 
intentions  had  been  baffled,  and  when  it  came  about 
that  she  was  ambitious  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  chess, 
what  could  be  more  natural  than  that  Mr.  Erskine,  a 
veteran  at  the  game,  should  offer  to  initiate  her?  She 
had  not  purposed  accepting  the  offer,  at  the  time ;  but 
this  morning,  when  Mr.  Erskine  rode  up  after  breakfast, 
to  inquire  after  Kate  and  Madge,  he  was  shown  into  the 
sans-souti,  where,  remote  from  Grove  and  the  sonneteers, 
sat  Chipie,  engaged  in  making  out  a  geometrical  puzzle. 
He  crossed  over  to  her,  after  his  greetings  to  the  little 
group,  and  presently,  when  Madge  raised  her  eyes,  she 
saw  her  sister  and  Mr.  Erskine  bending  earnestly  over 
the  puzzle.  It  was  finally  solved,  and  then  it  would 
have  been  anomalous,  indeed,  if  the  chess-table,  which 
stood  in  close  proximity,  had  not  recalled  to  Mr. 
Erskine  the  wish  expressed  the  preceding  day ;  and, 
before  she  was  aware  of  it,  Chipie  found  herself  battling 
with  knights  and  bishops,  with  an  aptitude  which  sur- 
prised herself,  and  delighted  her  instructor. 

They  were  beginning  a  second  game,  when  Jerrold 
Winthrop  and  his  friend  were  announced.  As  the  two 
young  men  -entered,  the  contrast  between  them  was 
striking.  Four  years  had  produced  no  great  change  in 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  IO/ 

Jerrold  outwardly,  save  in  adding  to  his  height  and 
breadth ;  the  smooth,  sallow  face,  with  its  pointed  chin 
and  Greek  features,  looked  a  shade  more  Platonic,  and 
the  smile,  which  came  rarely,  displayed  the  same  sharp, 
white  teeth  which  had  caused  Kate,  in  former  days,  to 
like  her  playfellow  better  when  wearing  his  blackest 
scowl  than  when  forced  into  a  smile.  He  still  exhibited 
the  same  punctilious  elegance  in  dress  which  had  char- 
acterized him  as  a  youth.  A  faint  flicker  in  the 
smouldering  eyes,  as  he  received  Kate's  welcome,  told 
of  his  pleasure  at  the  meeting,  but  otherwise  his  features 
remained  unmoved.  He  took  the  seat  which  Grove  placed 
for  him,  after  the  introductions  had  been  gotten  over,  and 
was,  perhaps,  for  a  time,  the  central  object  of  attention. 
Kate  was  not  the  only  one  in  the  room  who  felt  some 
curiosity  regarding  this  new  arrival,  and  his  rather  un- 
usual appearance  certainly  increased  it.  The  conver- 
sation ran  mostly  upon  Jerrold's  wanderings  and  home- 
coming, at  first ;  but,  finally,  an  opportunity  was  afforded 
for  a  tete-a -fete  with  Kate,  and,  crossing  to  her  side, 
Jerrold  sat  down. 

''Miss  Kate,"  he  said,  with  an  intense  glance,  "  I  wish 
that  I  could  tell  you  of  the  happiness  with  which  I  am 
filled,  as  I  find  myself,  after  the  vicissitudes  of  my  last 
years,  in  my  boyhood's  home  !  While  fate  — inexora- 
ble fate,  I  may  say  —  has  borne  me  to  distant  climes, 
my  heart  and  my  memory  have  never  wandered  ;  true 
to  my  early  friends  I  return.  May  I  cherish  the  thought 


108  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

that  the  past,  which  associated  us  so  happily,  is  not 
wholly  obliterated  from  your  own  memory,  by  the  in- 
terests of  later  years  ?  " 

"Indeed,  I  have  not  forgotten  the  by-gone  days," 
Kate  answered,  frankly.  "I  enjoyed  them  too  thor- 
oughly to  forget  them.  But  does  everything  look 
quite  natural,  —  as  it  did  when  old  To wzer  helped  us  in 
our  good  times  ?  Poor  Towzer !  how  we  did  impose 
upon  his  good  nature,  didn't  we?" 

Jerrold  answered  with  one  of  his  peculiar  smiles,  and 
then  went  on  to  recall  events  connected  with  childhood, 
and  more  especially  with  youth,  in  a  somewhat  senti- 
mental fashion,  Avhich  amused  Kate,  and  did  not  entirely 
please  her.  Hoping  to  lead  the  conversation  into  a  less 
personal  channel,  she  remarked,  as  she  glanced  towards 
Madge  and  Mr.  Godfrey,  who  were  chatting  away 
volubly  :  — 

"  Your  friend  must  have  been  a  pleasant  travelling 
companion,  he  seems  so  bright  and  merry  ! " 

M  Ah,  yes,  a  good  fellow,  a  very  good  fellow  ;  not 
marvellously  endowed  intellectually,  but  yet,  compan- 
ionable. Miss  Kate,  pardon  a  comparison  ;  but  you  may 
shortly  become  cognizant  of  a  difference  between  my 
friend  and  myself !  My  friend  is  preeminently  a  par- 
lor man  !  A. parlor  man!  "  he  repeated,  with  measured 
accents.  "I  regret  my  inability  to  compete  with  him 
in  this  particular,  for  that  it  is  an  advantage  is  incon- 
testable. But  the  atmosphere  which  pervades  the 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  lOQ 

drawing-room  is  detrimental  to  myself,  —  it  is  simply 
coarctation ;  only  in  the  open  air,  untrammelled  by 
petty  conventionality,  am  I  really  myself!  Miss  Kate, 
I  anticipate  your  reply  ;  are  you  as  deyoted  an  eques- 
trienne as  formerly  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  Kate,  biting  her  lip  to  keep  back 
a  smile  ;  "  I  shall  never  lose  my  love  for  riding.  I  ex- 
pect that  I  shall  shock  my  friends,  when  I  get  on  spec- 
tacles and  caps,  by  careering  over  the  country  as 
joyously  as  I  do  now  !  " 

"  May  I  hope  that  the  old  habit  of  enjoying  together 
our  favorite  amusement  may  be  revived  !  "  asked  Jerrold, 
significantly. 

"Indeed,  I  hope  that  you,  and  your  friend  also,  will 
join  us  in  our  riding  jaunts  ;  they  are  ever  so  pleasant. 
We  ride  almost  every  day  now  that  our  cousins  are  with 
us,  and  Mr.  Erskine  usually  accompanies  us  ;  so,  you 
see,  we  have  a  very  imposing  cavalcade  !  " 

"Is  this  Mr.  Rogers  Erskine,  of  Baltimore?"  asked 
Jerrold,  stiffly,  with  a  suspicious  glance  towards  the 
gentleman  in  question. 

"It  is  ;  have  you  met  him  before?"  asked  Kate,  with 
what  seemed  to  Jerrold  an  uncalled-for  interest. 

"  I  know  him  only  by  report,"  responded  Jerrold, 
sententiously.  "  He  possesses  some  literary  ability.  I 
believe." 

Kate  smiled  to  herself  at  Jerrold's  patronizing  tone 
and  manner,  and  thought  regretfully,  "  Poor  Jerrold  ! 


110  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

have  the  years  been  unkind  to  you, — have  they  done 
nothing  towards  subduing  your  terrible  egotism  ? "  And 
then,  as  lie  talked  on  of  his  experiences  during  his 
absence,  Kate  watched  him,  hoping  to  discover  some 
genuine  touch  of  manliness.  What  was  there  about  him 
to  have  attracted  a  bright,  fun-loving  fellow  like  Walter 
Godfrey?  To  be  sure,  he  was  a  walking  encyclopedia, 
but  it  did  not  seem  to  Kate  as  if  that  were  just  the  sort 
of  companion,  judging  from  what  she  had  seen  of  him, 
that  Walter  Godfrey  would  have  chosen,  unless  there 
existed  a  more  cheerful  appendix ,  which  the  "  parlor 
atmosphere  "  was  at  present  obscuring. 

As  for  Mr.  Godfrey,  he  was  becoming,  every  mo- 
ment, more  impressed  by  Madge's  witchery.  Consid- 
ering that  they  met  but  the  day  before,  they  had  made 
remarkable  strides  on  the  road  to  friendship.  Madge 
had  displayed  all  her  choicest  frogs  and  storks  to  his 
admiring  gaze,  and  little  confidences  had  been  exchanged 
Avith  the  frank  freedom  of  a  pair  of  school-children. 

After  the  callers  had  left,  Grove  took  up  the  morn- 
ing mail,  and,  running  over  the  addresses,  selected  one 
with  a  foreign  postmark.  He  tore  it  open,  read  it 
through,  and  at  the  end  ejaculated,  with  a  laugh  :  — 

"Aha  !  but  the  fates  are  good  !  This  is  a  prime  joke, 
girls  !  " 

The  girls  looked  up  inquiringly  from  their  letters. 

"I  hope  that  you  will  be  pleased  with  the  news," 
proceeded  Grove,  beamingly.  "  Under  the  circumstances, 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  Ill 

I  suppose  that  one  more  Avill  make  no  difference  !  The 
fact  is,  I  expect,  two  weeks  from  to-morrow,  to  meet 
our  dear  Carl  von  Weckbecker  in  New  York,  and  bring 
him  l>ack  for  the  summer." 

A  long  merry  laugh  greeted  this  announcement,  and 
then  Chipie,  exclaimed  :  — 

"It  is  too  droll,  after  all  our  plans  and  expectations  ! 
But,  Grove,  when  is  it  to  stop?" 

"It  is  safe  to  conclude  that  this  will  be  the  last  of  the 
season,"  laughed  Grove  ;  "  unless,"  he  added,"  Mr.  Allyn 
and  some  other  of  your  disinterested  friends  chance  to 
learn  that  Saxony  is  a  famous  angling  spot,  and  then 
Heaven  only  knows  when  the  end  will  come  ! " 

"But  how  did  you  bring  it  about?"  asked  Kate. 
"  What  did  you  say  to  him  ?  " 

"Everything  that  I  could  think  of,  to  induce  him  to 
come  at  once.  I  pictured  in  glowing  colors  the  mani- 
fold attractions :  open  wood-fires  for  gray  days ; 
spreading  trees  and  shady  waters  for  bright  days ;  and 
fair  maidens  and  noble  knights  for  all  days.  This  is 
the  result." 

"  I  am  delighted,"  said  Kate.  "  What  a  gala  company 
we  shall  be  !  " 

"Does  Mr.  von  Weckbecker  speak  English  well,  or 
must  we  polish  up  our  German?"  asked  Madge,  with 
some  anxiety. 

"  Xot  a  word  of  English  does  he  speak,"  said  Grove, 
tantnlizingly.  "You  must  spend  every  minute,  for  the 


112  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

next  two  weeks,  in  practising  your  gutturals  ;  otherwise 
you  will  find  no  favor  in  the  'eyes  of  the  Adonis  I  am 
to  introduce." 

Madge  made  a  grimace,  and  Kate  asked  :  — 

"Will  it  be  necessary  for  you  to  meet  him?  " 

"Yes  ;  or,  at  least,  I  wish  to  do  so  ;  and  I  am  sorry  to 
say  that  I  shall  be  obliged  to  leave  here  a  week  before- 
hand, on  account  of  a  little  business  matter  which  I  have 
to  attend  to.  But  you  won't  notice  my  absence,  with 
so  many  attendants  waiting  to  do  your  bidding.  And 
you,  my  dear  sisterine,  will  find  your  time  well  filled  in 
giving  ear  to  your  newly  found  friend.  Jove  !  but 
didn't  his  glib  use  of  polysyllables  quite  stagger  your 
simple-minded  brother  !  " 

Chipie,  who  had  commenced  rearranging  the  chess- 
table,  now  came  over  to  where  Kate  was  standing,  and, 
taking  her  hand,  inpressed  a  kiss  upon  her  finger-tips. 

"  Miss  Kate,  thy  charms,  increased  an  hundred-fold, 
render  me  speechless  !  Pardon,  but  what  think'st  thou 
of  me?" 

"Come,  Chipie,  don't  make  fun  of  the  poor  boy  !  I 
see  plainly  that  we  have  a  work  of  charity  —  the  long- 
suffering  kind  —  before  us." 

"Ah  !  Kate's  face  shows  that  she  intends  putting  into 
practical  use  the  hints  gleaned  from  that  educational  work 
which  she  was  so  bound  up  in,  last  week,"  said  Chipie. 
"But  don't  be  too  hopeful  of  results,  my  dear,  for  I  fear 
you  won't  find  a  very  receptive  soil  to  work  upon  !  " 


CHAPTER  X. 

x  was  midnight  when  Grove  and  his  friend  Carl 
sprang  from  the  boat-train  upon  the  deserted 
platform  of  the  Wilmingham  depot.  Hardly 
awakened  from  the  nap  out  of  which  they  had.  been 
routed,  they  proceeded  to  shake  off  remaining  drowsiness 
by  a  vigorous  stamping,  and  then  walked  up  the  long 
platform. 

"  Look  here,  Grove,  it  will  be  one  grand  joke  if  your 
machine  is  not  yet  arrived,  eh !  " 

"  Ah,  my  dear  Carl,"  replied  Grove,  with  a  shrug, 
"  don't  alarm  yourself !  Tony  is  one  of  the  few  things 
this  side  of  heaven  of  which  I'm  sure.  I  haven't  an  idea 
that  our  journey  is  to  end  other  than  all  right.  Of 
course  they  got  the  telegram  !  " 

A  moment  later  Carl  espied  a  heavy  family  carriage 
drawn  up  in  front  of  the  station,  and,  standing  by  the 
horses,  a  dignified  old  negro,  whom  he  rightly  decided 
to  be  Tony.  At  the  sight  of  the  two  figures  the  smiling 
servant  threw  open  the  door  and  stepped  back. 

"Ise  mos'  'fraid,  Mass'r  Grove,  yah  wus  gwine  t' 
dispint  us  !  Reckon  de  train  be  a  good  ten  minutes 


114  MARPLOT    r.UPID. 

procrastinated ;  Ise  done  been  waitin'  dis  half  hou'. 
Vi'let  say,  'Go  long,  ole  man,  and  done  keep  Mass'r  Grove 
wait-n,  fur  it's  bes'  fur  de  niggers  t'  wait  den  white  fokes.'" 

Grove  laughed  good-naturedly,  and  turning  towards 
his  friend  motioned  him  in. 

"  Come,  old  fellow,  stow  yourself  away  !  Here,  Tony, 
take  care  of  the  traps." 

After  the  door  closed  upon  them  and  the  horses  had 
started  off  on  a  sharp  trot,  Carl  gave  one  or  two  sleepy 
glances  from  the  window,  then  settled  himself  back  in 
the  corner,  and  was  soon  fast  asleep,  oblivious  to  the 
wide  avenue  through  which  they  were  whirling,  over- 
arched by  elms  which  were  the  pride  of  the  Wilming- 
ham  inhabitants. 

At  last  he  was  aroused  by  the  stopping  of  the  carriage 
and  Grove's  voice  exclaiming  gayly  :  — 

"Wake  up,  old  fellow  —  wake  up!  Here  we  are  at 
home  !  —  Peace  be  upon  it !  " 

Carl  opened  his  eyes,  yawned,  and  looked  curiously 
out.  He  saw  that  they  were  at  the  head  of  a  large 
lake,  which  sparkled  in  the  moonlight  like  a  sheen  of 
gems.  A  little  beyond,  weird  and  mysterious  in  the 
white  light,  with  moving  shadows,  thrown  by  the  stir- 
ring branches,  lay  the  rambling  range  of  buildings,  with 
their  irregular  roofs  and  broad  eaves. 

The  older  parts  of  the  house,  which  had  come  into 
existence  two  hundred  years  back,  bore  witness  to  their 
birth-date  by  the  low-studded  rooms,  strange  crannies 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  115 

and  staircases  in  the  most  unexpected  places,  and  a 
general  air  of  antiquity.  In  its  day  it  had  been  con- 
sidered a  commodious  dwelling;  but,  as  the  years  rolled 
on,  it  became  merely  a  nucleus  about  which  rooms  of 
ancient  and  modern  architecture  grouped  themselves  in 
picturesque  irregularity.  It  had  grown  to  proportions 
ivliich  fairly  bewildered  the  plain  country-folk  about, 
and  many  an  aggrieved  look  had  been  cast  upon  it  by 
the  honest  farmers,  trundling  along  on  their  carts,  who 
pronounced  it  "a  devilish  big  piece  of  toin-foolery." 
"  Why  not  fix  the  rooms  up  together  in  some  sort  o' 
decent  shape,  and  knock  them  red  bunnits  off  the  top, 
and  make  the  place  look  like  a  Christian?"  they  said  one 
to  another. 

Carl's  poetic  German  nature  responded  at  once  to  the 
romantic  homestead,  and,  enraptured  by  his  first 
glimpse,  he  jumped  out,  and,  taking  oft*  his  hat,  waved 
it  enthusiastically  above  his  head. 

"  Eh !  Eh  !  And  this  is  the  sharming  American 
home  of  my  friend  and  brother !  Most  beautiful ! 
Most  beautiful !  I  enshrine  thee  anew,  fair  home,  of 
which  I  have  so  many  times  dreamed,  in  the  inner- 
most recesses  of  my  loving  soul !  Der  Himmel  segne 
dich,  dn  susse  Heimath  in  der  Neure  Welt!  " 

"  Good,  my  dear  fellow  !  I'm  right  glad  that  you 
think  the  old  homo  pretty.  I  hope  that  the  garish 
light  of  day  won't  diminish  the  charm  for  you.  Moon- 
light is  a  great  beautifier,  you  know  ! 


Il6  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"But  come  now,  I  can't  let  you  stay  here  any  longer. 
I  insist  that  you  follow  me,  put  a  crust  of  bread 
between  your  teeth,  and  then  swing  yourself  into  your 
berth.  You  want  to  look  your  prettiest  to-morrow, 
you  know,  for  you  have  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  dozens 
of  critical  eyes,  —  blue,  black,  brown,  gray,  hazel,  and 
—  green  too,  in  all  probability;  the  latter  will  be 
sharpest  of  all,  and  not  a  line  or  wrinkle  will  escape 
them." 

Grove  linked  his  arm  in  that  of  his  friend,  and,  ap- 
proaching one  of  the  side  doors,  took  out  his  latch-key 
and  was  endeavoring  to  make  a  quiet  entrance,  Avhen 
the  door  was  noiselessly  opened,  and  Violet,  resplend- 
ent in  a  new  scarlet  and  orange  turban,  stood  beaming 
upon  them. 

"  Bress  yah,  Mass'r  Grove,  specs  yah  done  glad 
t'  git  under  shelter!  It's  a  gittin  fur  on  to  de  new- 
born day,  an  ebry buddy  but  Ise  soun'  asleep." 

"  And  you  ought  to  be,  auntie,"  Grove  answered 
pleasantly.  "  Carl,  this  is  the  dear  old  mammie  who 
used  to  give  me  such  jolly  spankings,  once  on  a  time. 
She  doesn't  look  as  if  she  could  have  been  so  hard- 
hearted ;  but  it  is  only  too  true  ! "  and  then  he  added, 
as  Violet  chuckled  with  proud  delight,  "  Auntie,  you 
may  bring  us  a  little  lunch  in  the  library,  and  do  it 
quietly,  that  it  mayn't  disturb  any  one." 

"Bress  yah,  chile,  Madam  done  have  it  all  'pared 
wid  her  own  hands  ;  wouldn't  let  nobuddy  else  done 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  1 1/ 

tech  it ! "  and  Violet  led  the  way  to  where  a  dainty 
repast  was  spread,  a  white  rosebud  of  welcome  lying 
on  each  plate.  The  friends  lingered  long  over  the 
cozy  lunch.  Carl's  drowsiness  had  forsaken  him,  and 
he  grew  more  and  more  animated  as  the  time  flew  by. 
At  last,  however,  Grove  got  up  hastily,  and  seized  him 
by  the  shoulder,  exclaiming  :  — 

"Carl,  boy,  what  arc  you  thinking  of?  Look  at 
my  watch.  We  shall  have  the  whole  family  down 
upon  us  if  we  stay  here  any  longer.  A  fine,  haggard 
specimen  you'll  be  to  present  at  the  breakfast-table  ! 
Now  I'll  conduct  you  to  your  room,  via  this  corridor 
and  flight  of  stairs ;  happy  dreams  be  with  you,  and 
when  you  wake  up,  find  your  way,  if  you  can,  to  the 
breakfast-room.  Yes,  I  am  in  earnest ;  just  for  the 
sport  of  the  thing  see  if  you  can  accomplish  it  without 
help ;  if  you  do,  you'll  have  the  advantage  over  any 
guest  ever  entertained  here  !  " 

"Eh!  I'm  ready,  with  joy,  to  prove  my  superior 
in-tel-li-gence"  replied  Carl.  "And  is  it  that  I  arise, 
the  first  happy  day,  when  I  shall  please?" 

"  Yes,  have  a  good  sleep,  and  if  you  don't  appear 
by  eleven  o'clock  we  shall  send  a  guide  to  you,  and 
we  shan't  be  surprised,  in  the  least,  if  you  are  found 
hidden  away  in  some  corner,  saying  reprehensible 
words  in  German  !  " 

After  a  hearty  hand-shake  Grove  turned  back  to 
get  his  travelling-bag,  which  he  had  left  in  the  hall, 


Il8  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

and  as  he  did  so  a  dark  figure  darted  back  under  the 
stairs.  He  turned  on  the  light,  and  revealed  Princess, 
in  an  orange  wrapper,  looking  like  a  hobgoblin  as 
she  shrank,  trembling,  into  the  corner.  Finding  that 
the  wall  remained  impregnable,  she  sidled  out,  and, 
looking  up  mournfully,  observed  :  — 

"  Specs  Mass'r  Grove  done  want  Ise  't  tote  up  his 
v'lise  !  Isc  jis'  com'  't  fetch  it,  mass'r." 

"Look  here,  you  elfin,"  said  Grove,  failing  to 
sound  as  austere  as  he  wished,  "  tell  me  what  brings 
you  about  at  this  hour !  Is  it  your  usual  hour  for 
rising,  or  is  it  that  you  were  f  anguishing '  to  welcome 
me  —  or  what  is  it  ?  " 

"Reckon  Ise  mighty  glad  t' see  yah,  Mass'r  Grove, 
an'  specs  Ise  want  t'  see  is  do  new  gemman  jolly." 

"Well,  and  what  is  your  decision?" 

"Reckon  he  be  a  heap  like  a  gemman  wot  used 
t'  visit  my  Madam  in  Washington  ;  he  look  'cisely  like 
'im  anyhow,  and  he  used  t'  gib  me  heaps  ob  pennies.'' 

"  Princess,  this  gentleman  is  altogether  unlike  the 
one  who  visited  your  Madam ;  so  don't  let  me  know 
of  your  prying  around  again.  Xo\v  take  this  penny, 
to  make  you  remember  what  a  wicked  monkey  you've 
been,  and  —  scamper  !  " 

It  was  about  nine  o'clock  when  Carl  awoke,  and 
with  keen  pleasure  and  curiosity  started  upon  his  ex- 
ploration. On  one  side  his  room  opened  into  a  cor- 
ridor, from  which  he  descended  a  circular  staircase 


MARPLOT     CUPID.  I  1 9 

into  a  hull,  the  polished  floor  of  which  Avas  strewn 
with  tiger-skins.  lie  paused  a  moment  Avith  interest, 
as  he  stepped  into  a  room  so  IOAV  that  he  had  only  to 
rise  slightly  in  order  to  touch  the  heavy  cross-beam 
of  carved  oak,  which  age  had  mellowed  into  umber. 
The  chimney-piece  corresponded  in  finish  with  the 
cross-beam,  and  was  set  with  richly  tinted  tiles,  Avhile 
the  shelves  displayed  a  choice  collection  of  ceramic 
treasures.  The  solid  furniture  was  good  to  behold  in 
its  antiquity,  and  altogether  it  formed  a  strange  con- 
trast to  the  sight  Avhich  met  Carl's  eyes  as  he  drew 
aside  the  curtain  from  a  broad  archway  leading  to  a 
room  of  grand  proportions.  Facing  him,  as  he  en- 
tered, Avas  an  immense  door  reaching  almost  to  the 
ceiling,  and  so  skilfully  had  the  beautiful,  bronze- 
tinted  carbon  photographs  of  the  Ghiberti  panels  of 
the  Baptistry  Gate  been  set  into  the  richly  cut  wood- 
work that  Carl  stopped  before  it  transfixed,  —  the 
memory  of  happy  by-gone  days  at  the  Duomo  rushing 
upon  him  and  bearing  him  quite  out  of  the  present. 
On  one  side  of  the  room  stood  a  cabinet,  supporting 
casts  of  Michael  Angelo's  Day  and  Niglit,  and  above 
hung  a  Mono,  Liza.  Carl  eArer  after  termed  this 
apartment  the  Salon  Ghiberti.  Had  he  pulled  aside 
the  crimson  curtain  at  one  end  of  the  room  he  would 
have  discovered  the  place,  of  all  others,  which  Grove 
most  cared  for.  It  Avas  the  organ-room,  —  a  peaceful 
spot,  filled  Avith  a  subdued  light,  Avhich  fell  through 


120  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

the  stained  windoAv  above  the  organ,  while  the  hang- 
ing brass  lamps,  the  crucifix  suspended  at  one  side, 
and,  indeed,  all  the  appointments,  were  in  such  com- 
plete harmony  that  the  music-loving  soul  had  but  to 
enter  to  be  satisfied. 

Carl,  however,  passed  it  without  notice,  and  a  second 
arched  entrance  carried  him  into  the  billiard-room. 
The  sound  of  distant  voices  hurried  him  on  through  a 
hall,  and  he  next  found  himself  in  a  long,  low  room, 
with  crimson  walls,  fantastically  hung  Avith  relics  of 
years'  accumulation ;  a  mammoth  fireplace  took  up 
nearly  half  of  one  side,  and  was  guarded  by  a  pair  of 
huge  brass  lions  ;  a  door  at  the  lower  end  led  to  the 
servants'  quarters,  and  opposite  the  fireplace  a  wide 
folding-door  stood  ajar;  over  the  entrance  a  gallery 
opened  from  an  upper  room,  and  here  Carl  recog- 
nized a  piece  of  Grove's  originality.  He  stopped  in 
admiration  as  he  beheld  the  miniature  of  what  the 
Duomo  organ-loft  might  have  been ;  it  was  made  by 
fitting  the  panels  with  large  photographs  of  Delia 
Robbia's  Singing  Boy*.  Again  his  thoughts  wan- 
dered ;  he  was  in  sunny  Florence ;  time  and  place 
were  forgotten,  — when  suddenly  a  merry  laugh  caused 
him  to  turn. 

"  Willkommen  in  der  Heimath  Br'uder  Carl!" 

With  a  beaming  face  Kate  stood  before  him. 

"  And  now  I  am  sure  that  you  are  ready  for  a  guide  ! 
Grove  begged  us  to  let  you  find  us  ;  but  at  last  I  con- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  I2T 

vinced  him  that  it  was  a  shamefully  inhospitable  wel- 
come, and  not  a  bit  funny,  —  so  here  I  am  !  " 

Carl  had  grasped  Kate's  hands  firmly,  but  his  face 
wore  such  a  puzzled  expression  that  Kate  laughed  gayly. 

"Why,  Carl,  must  I  really  introduce  myself?  Am 
I  so  much  changed  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  cannot  persuade  myself  that  before  me 
stands  the  little  Rena  whom  I  already  knew  in  Italy 
and  on  the  loved  Alster ! — the  little  sailor  whose  pa- 
tient spirit  I  unhappily  vended  because  that  my  oars 
went  never  together,  even  after  much  rebuking ! " 

"  But  you  mustn't  persuade  yourself  into  any  such 
deception,  for,  don't  you  see,  I  am  no  longer  the  little 
Rena!  But,  Carl," —  in  a  more  serious  tone, — "I  am 
so  glad,  so  very  glad  to  see  you  !  You  don't  know 
what  a  pleasure  it  is  to  us  all  to  have  you  at  last  in 
our  New  England  home  !  " 

"  Eh,  thanks,  thanks,  dear  Rena,"  was  the  emotional 
response.  "  I  would  have  you  to  re-cognize  the  joy  that 
thrills  my  heart  as  I  behold  this  sharming  home  and  re- 
call to  my  soul  the  dreams  which,  in  the  dear  Faderland, 
it  has  occasioned  to  me.  But  my  sweetest  dreams 
would  never  arrive  to  this  sharming  realitee." 

"Then  you  like  it,  Carl?"  said  Kate,  smiling. 

"  Eh,  I  cannot  express  myself !  This  home  combines 
effects  most  exquisite  and  womantic  !  It  brings  the 
beauty  of  the  Old  World  to  commingle  most  sharmingly 
with  that  of  the  New  World  !  " 


122  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

Here  the  sound  of  Grove's  voice  floated  in,  and  Kate 
conducted  the  smiling  guest  up  a  short  flight  of  steps  to 
the  breakfast-room,  which  was  separated  from  a  large 
drawing-room  by  a  heavy  screen,  the  four  panels 
painted  to  represent  the  seasons. 

"  Our  Xew  England  Seasons  ! "  Kate  explained,  as 
Carl  paused  before  Spring, — a  pretty  hill-side,  partly 
snow-covered  ;  the  sturdy  little  arbutus  blossoms  peep- 
ing from  their  downy  bed,  Avhile  a  bluebird  swinging 
on  an  overhanging  bough  seemed  to  be  singing  a  song 
of  praise  for  the  welcome  forerunner  of  summer  days. 

"  I  need  not  ask  whose  hand  created  this  ! "  said  Carl. 
"  The  breath  from  these  ittle  messengers  was  one  day 
wafted  to  me  across  the  waters." 

"  Grove  has  been  telling  tales,  then  !"  said  Kate,  as 
she  stepped  aside  and  motioned  Carl  to  precede  her. 

The  morning  sunlight  streamed  through  the  open 
doors  and  windows  as  Carl  entered,  and  his  quick  eye 
took  in  every  point  of  beauty,  from  the  green  la\vn, 
stretching  an  eighth  of  a  mile  to  the  park  beyond,  to 
the  bunch  of  pansies  by  each  plate,  and  the  delicate  vase 
of  morning-glories  upon  the  table. 

This,  and  the  sight  of  the  graceful  queen-mother, 
with  dainty  breakfast  cap  and  robe,  advancing  to  meet 
him  with  outstretched  hands,  made  a  picture  in  Carl's 
mind  which  was  never  forgotten  in  thinking  of  his  first 
peep  into  an  American  home. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

breakfast  Kate  proposed  that  Carl  should 
be  conducted  through  the  house,  thinking  that 
he  would  enjoy  its  originality,  and  also  feel 
more  at  home,  and  be  less  likely  to  lose  his  way 
in  the  labyrinth  of  turns  and  windings.  In  the  north 
wing  they  came  upon  Kate's  studio,  and  Carl's  face 
showed  genuine  delight  as  he  slowly  scanned  the 
well-filled  walls.  When  Kate  pushed  a  chair  towards 
him,  he  quickly  declined  :  — 

"  Eh,  thanks  ;  but  I  must  not  sit  in  the  midst  of  all 
this  genius  ! "  and  he  proceeded  to  examine  the  flower- 
groups,  portraits,  and  some  half-finished  sketches  of 
Major  and  the  horses.  Upon  an  easel  stood  a  covered 
canvas,  which  Grove  persisted  in  seeing  ;  and,  after  much 
hesitation  and  evident  reluctance,  Kate  withdrew  the 
cloth  and  disclosed  a  partially  completed  portrait  of 
Chipie. 

''  There  !  it  is  very  good  in  me  to  show  this.  I  don't 
like  people  to  see  my  half-finished  pictures  ! " 

"Eh  !  "  exclaimed  Carl,  "you  are  to  make  a  success, 
Ilena." 


124  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

Grove  inspected  the  head  critically,  standing  first  on 
this  side,  then  on  that. 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  at  length  seating  himself,  "it  will 
be  capital !  When  did  you  begin  it,  Kate?" 

"The  morning  after  you  left  home.  I've  always 
wanted  to  paint  Chipie,  and  I  thought  it  would  be  a 
good  opportunity  to  begin  while  you  were  away,  and 
we  weren't  having  anything  special  to  take  up  our 
time." 

"  But  how  did  you  happen  to  get  up  that  uncommonly 
bewitching  expression  for  the  occasion,  Chipie?"  asked 
Grove. 

"  My  usual  expression  when  no  disturbing  element  is 
present,"  was  the  answer.  "  I  assure  you  that  we  spent 
a  very  peaceful  week,  didn't  we,  Kate?  But,  Grove," 
she  continued,  "am  I  such  a  little  yellow-faced  thing  as 
that  is  going  to  represent?" 

"  Not  by  gas-light !  "  said  Grove,  pleasantly,  as  he 
soberly  viewed  the  unfinished  face. 

"But,  Grove  and  Carl,  do  you  really  think  it  will  be 
good?"  asked  Kate,  anxiously.  "I  want  it  to  be  quite 
wonderful,  for  I  mean  it  for  an  heirloom.  Besides, 
who  knows  that  it  will  not  be  the  means  of  making  me 
famous  ?  " 

"I  think,  Rena,  that  you  have,  indeed,  the  fire  of 
genius  within  your  soul,"  exclaimed  Carl,  impulsively. 

"Oh,  no,  Carl,"  said  Kate,  with  a  little  laugh ;  "  it  is 
nothing  grander  than  &  small  bit  of  talent,  and  perhaps 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  125 

I  haven't  a  right  to  claim  even  that ;  I  sometimes  think 
that  I  haven't  —  my  efforts  are  so  terribly  discouraging 
oftentimes  ! " 

"Eh,  you  are  altogether  wrong,  Rena,"  exclaimed 
Carl,  earnestly.  "It  is  more  than  talent  which  shall 
develop  work  like  this.  Eh,  these  are  poems  ! "  and 
Carl  placed  himself  before  a  mass  of  cut  flowers. 

"Aren't  they  lovely,  Mr.  Carl?"  asked  Chipie  ;  "just 
study  the  light  on  those  jacquimenot  petals  ! " 

"  You  dear,  enthusiastic  souls  !"  cried  Kate,  laughing. 
"It's  delicious  to  listen  to  you.  What  a  balm  it  is  to 
have  friends  !  " 

"Xow,  Kate,  don't  be  sarcastic.  You  know  Mr.  Carl 
is  a  connoisseur  in  art,  and  as  for  myself  I  never  bestow 
praise  for  mere  friendship's  sake,  — you  know  that !  " 

"Oh,  but  if  you  had  seen  the  lights  on  the  real 
roses  !  "  cried  Kate,  clasping  her  hands.  "  Mine  were 
like  burlesques  when  placed  beside  the  living  models  ! 
Carl,  you  may  look  at  this  if  you  like  ;  it  is  a  memory 
sketch  of  long  ago  !  "  and  she  placed  a  water-color 
drawing  on  the  easel,  in  which  Grove  and  Carl  were 
recognizable,  and  under  which  was  written,  "  Our  Life 
in  Mentone." 

Presently  Grove  took  Carl  away,  and  the  girls  were 
left  to  their  own  devices.  Chipie  seated  herself  on 
her  throne  opposite  the  easel,  but  that  her  thoughts 
were  intent  upon  something  other  than  her  portrait 
was  apparent. 


126  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

?f  Girls,"  she  exclaimed,  after  a  while,  "  isn't  it  strange 
how  things  turn  out  ?  " 

"Of  what  are  you  thinking?"  asked  Kate,  holding 
up  her  palette-knife,  and  inspecting  the  tint  of  rose- 
madder  which  it  held. 

"  Well," — reflectively,  —  "  I  was  thinking  how  little  we 
thought,  when  we  were  planning  for  a  quiet,  solitary 
summer,  that  it  would  end  in  this  way  !  Think  of  our 
having,  after  all,  four  unlooked-for  knights  in  our 
midst !  " 

"  It  is  droll  enough  !  "  responded  Kate,  musingly.  "  If 
we  accept  the  foreordination  doctrine  we  must  con- 
clude that  the  invasion  is  for  some  especial  reason. 
Then  comes  the  query,  — What  can  the  reason  be?" 

"  Foreordination  !  "  ejaculated  Madge.  "  Bah  !  I 
hope  none  of  us  believe  in  anything  so  dreadful.  Every- 
thing happens  by  chance,  — happy  chance  in  this  case. 
You  believe  that  it  is  nothing  more  solemn  than  chance, 
don't  you,  Chipie?" 

."  I  don't  know  what  I  do  believe,"  was  the  somewhat 
thoughtful  answer.  "  Kate,  what  has  made  you  hostess 
to  so  many  guests  this  summer, —  Fate,  or  Chance?" 

"I'll  ponder  the  subject  and  give  you  my  answer 
before  the  summer  is  over,"  was  Kate's  gleeful  reply. 
"But,  after  all  our  rage  against  our  interrupted  seclu- 
sion, we  are  having  delightful  times,  aren't  we?" 

"  That  we  are,"  answered  Chipie  ;  and  then  she  added, 
meditatively,  "  It  is  singular  how  friendships  wrill  grow, 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  I2/ 

in  a  few  short  weeks,  between  entire  strangers,  when 
thrown  together  in  a  quiet  spot  like  this  ! " 

"  Very  singular  !  "  was  Madge's  sarcastic  reply. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  tone?"  asked  Chipie, 
quickly. 

"  Why,  I  was  agreeing  with  you  that  it  is  singular 
how  friendships  will  grow,  in  a  few  short  weeks.  I 
dare  say  that  Mr.  Erskine  has  often  said  the  same  thing 
to  himself,  of  late,"  — and  Madge  lifted  her  brows  and 
pointed  her  nose  serenely  upward. 

"I  suppose  you  know,  Madge,  that,  although  we  are 
Aunt  Paulien's  guests,  we  are  also,  in  a  way,  hostesses 
to  these  gentlemen,  and  one  is  obliged  to  make  personal 
feeling  a  secondary  matter." 

"Certainly,  dear,  I  understand,"  said  Madge,  ami- 
ably. "  I  am  sure  I  am  only  too  glad  if  you  have  at  all 
overcome  your  prejudice,  for  it  makes  it  much  more 
comfortable  for  all  of  us.  As  it  is,  we  form  a  charming 
little  party,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  your  thought  of 
your  hostess's  duty,  poor  Mr.  Erskine  would  have  been 
quite  a  white  elephant  amongst  us,  now  that  Mr.  Jerrold 
monopolizes  Kate  as  he  does.  But  it  is  too  bad  that 
he  could  not  have  been  of  a  respectable  age." 

"  Respectable  age  !  "  exclaimed  Chipie,  with  asperity. 
"  What  do  you  consider  a  respectable  age?" 

"Oh,  I  don't  know.  Half  of  Mr.  Erskine's,  per- 
haps," said  Madge,  languidly. 

"Pray,  how  old  do  you  fancy  Mr.  Erskine  ?"  ques- 


128  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

tioned  Chipie,  with  far  more  interest  in  her  voice  than 
Madge  thought  necessary. 

"About  fifty, —  perhaps  older.  One  never  can  tell 
the  age  of  elderly  men." 

"Madge  Margrave,  what  an  absurd  child  you  are! 
You  compare  Mr.  Erskine  with  those  flippant  boys." 

"  Flippant !  Do  you  include  Mr.  Jerrold  in  your 
list?  However,  my  dear,  if  you  are  pleased,  I'm  very 
glad  that  Mr.  Erskiue  is  here." 

Madge  did  not  intend  to  seriously  annoy  Chipie,  but 
that  she  had  was  evinced  by  the  flush  upon  her  cheek. 
The  last  weeks  had  forced  Chipie,  much  against  her 
inclination,  to  a  keen  admiration  of  Mr.  Erskine's 
character ;  and  although  she  had  not  admitted  this,  by 
word  of  mouth,  she  had  come  to  rebel,  in  her  heart,  at 
the  lack  of  appreciation  with  which  Madge  seemed  to 
regard  the  new  friend. 

"  I  don't  wish  to  intimate  that  Mr.  Erskine  is  a  bore, 
you  know,"  said  Madge,  relenting  at  her  sister's  silence  ; 
"only  I  do  wish  that  you  wouldn't —  both  of  you — talk 
incessantly  upon  such  mighty  themes.  It  is  distressing 
to  see  you  so  wrapt  up  in  anything,  this  warm  weather. 
It  is  a  mercy 'to  a  poor,  light-headed  individual  like 
myself  that  Mr.  Erskine  isn't  the  only  visitor  here." 

Chipie  was  about  to  reply,  the  gleam  in  her  eyes 
meaning  mischief,  when  Mr.  Sturgis  appeared  in  the 
doorway. 

"Am  I   breaking   in  upon  a   morning   conference?" 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  131 

he  asked.  "Excuse  me,  but  I'm  going  to  ride  over  to 
the  Birches,  and  I  am  come  to  see  if  I  can  lure  the  model 
niece  from  her  pedestal.  I  want  to  atone  for  my  act  of 
discourtesy  yesterday." 

"  I  shall  be  delighted  to  go,  Uncle  Malcolm.  Kate 
doesn't  need  me,  —  she  is  only  putting  in  the  back- 
ground. But  I'm  not  a  model,  in  any  sense,  this 
morning,  and  I  warn  you  I  shall  be  neither  amiable  nor 
amusing." 

"What  has  occurred  to  trouble  your  serenity?" 
asked  Mr.  Sturgis,  detecting,  with  his  sharp  eyes,  the 
flush  which  had  not  yet  faded. 

"  For  one  thing,  Kate  is  putting  a  fearful  amount 
of  yellow  into  my  complexion,  and  I  can't-help  feeling 
sensitive  about  it,"  was  the  careless  reply.  "  Yes- 
terday I  actually  saw  her  mixing  in  green  and  a  hide- 
ous Indian-red.  I  won't  have  it,  Uncle  Malcolm  !  I 
know  Kate  thinks  I  have  a  Chinaman's  complexion  ! " 

Mr.  Sturgis  converted  the  roll  of  paper  which  he 
carried  into  a  telescope,  and  viewed  Chipie  and  the 
portrait  alternately,  nodding  his  head  with  satisfaction, 
after  each  survey,  and  presently  the  two,  arm  in  arm, 
left  the  room. 

Kate  had  remained  silent  during  the  passage  of  arms 
between  her  cousins.  She  had  been  amused,  and  not 
a  little  gratified,  at  Chipie's  manner,  for  within  a  fort- 
night an  idea  had  flashed  into  her  mind,  and  she  was 
privately  enjoying  the  increasing  friendliness  between 


13^  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

her  cousin  and  friend.  Now  she  worked  rapidly  away 
on  her  picture,  without  speaking.  Suddenly,  Madge 
exclaimed  vehemently  :  — 

"Kate,  a  dreadful  thought  has  just  entered  my  head, 
—  a  dreadful  thought  /" 

Kate  turned,  her  brush  midway  in  the  air,  and  saw 
Madge  gazing  at  her  fixedly. 

"  What  under  the  sun  can  it  be  ?  It  must  be  dread- 
ful, indeed,  to  call  up  such  a  dismayed  look." 

"  Kate,  I  believe  that  our  Chipie  and  that  man  are 
going  to  fall  in  love  with  each  otJw!" 

The  words  were  uttered  with  funereal  emphasis,  and 
an  air  of  helplessness  that  sent  Kate  into  a  long  laugh. 

"How  can  you  be  so  flippant,  Kate,  about  anything 
so  serious?"  said  Madge,  rebukiugly.  "Fancy  our 
Chipie,"  she  went  on,  "  who  has  been  almost  everywhere, 
and  has  had  such  charming  opportunities  for  engaging 
herself,  finally  falling  in  love  with  a  man  as  old  as  papa. 
It  is  dreadful !  " 

Madge  waited  for  a  reply,  but  none  came  directly ; 
Kate's  risibles  were  still  having  their  own  way. 

"Kate,  why  don't  you  say  something?  Do  you  un- 
derstand the  matter?  Have  you  thought  of  it  before  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  should  like  it !  "  was  the  decided  answer. 

"  Kate  Sturgis!  " 

"  I  should,  Madge.  I  can't  imagine  anything  nicer. 
Why  do  you  speak  of  Mr.  Erskine  as  if  he  were  an 
antique  ?  " 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  133 

"Because  he  is  !  "  was  the  petulant  answer. 

"I  don't  blame  Chipic  for  calling  you  absurd,  Madge. 
Do  you  think  Mr.  Erskine  looks  old?" 

"X-no,  —  not  old,  exactly,"  was  the  halting  response  ; 
"but  then,  we  know  that  he  is  old,  and  that  he  doesn't 
look  young  like  —  well,  he  is  very  different  from  — 
from  Mr.  Carl,  and  Grove,  and  Mr.  Godfrey." 

"Is* that  your  only  objection?" 

"  Xo  ;  he  is  too  wise  and  dignified  for  our  gayChipie." 

Kate  smiled.     "  What  else  do  you  disapprove  ?  " 

"Well  —  well — he  is  too  old,  altogether  too  old, 
Kate  ! " 

"  That  is  what  you  said  first ,  dear.    I  asked  what  else  ?  " 

"  Kate,  how  unpleasant  you  seem  ! "  exclaimed  Madge, 
impatiently.  "  Am  I  to  understand  that  you  see  noth- 
ing objectionable  in  it?" 

"If  Chipie  ever  should  marry  Mr.  Erskine,  the  mer- 
riest of  the  wedding  guests  would  be  Kate  Sturgis. 
Seriously,  Madge,  you  ought  to  admire  Mr.  Erskine. 
He  has  lived  one  of  the  noblest  lives  possible  for  a 
man  to  live, — that  I  knew  before  he  came  to  us. 
No  one  could  be  fresher  in  spirit  and  thought  than  he  ; 
and,  besides,  what  difference  does  it  make  how  old  people 
are  ?  It  only  makes  Mr.  Erskine  wiser,  and  stronger, 
and  better  able  to  respond  —  yes,  Madge,  to  respond 
—  to  the  nobility  of  Chi  pie's  character.  Underneath 
that  girl's  gay  exterior  she  is  a  rare  gem,  — do  you  know 
it,  Madge  ?  " 


134  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"•Of  course  I  do,"  affirmed  Madge.  "  That  is  why  I 
think  she  ought  not  to  be  easily  satisfied." 

"  I  fancy  we  could  call  up  a  great  many  sorrowful  wit- 
nesses to  the  fact  that  she  could  not  be  easily  satisfied," 
.said  Kate,  lifting  her  brows. 

Madge  was  beginning  to  feel  subdued.  With  her  chin 
resting  in  her  hands  she  remained  for  some  time  gazing 
out  of  the  window.  When  she  finally  spoke  her  voice 
was  changed. 

"  Kate,  perhaps  you  are  right !  Dear  Chipie  !  — 
How  very  odd  it  seems  !  I  didn't  think  she  would  ever 
care  for  any  one  in  that  way  !  Now  that  I  think  of  it 
seriously,  Mr.  Erskine  doesn't  seem  very  old  ;  he  enjoys 
sports  of  all  kinds,  and  invariably  wrins  at  every  game 
\ve  play,  except  archery,  and  he  is  next  to  you  in  that 
even!  I  remember  Mr.  Godfrey  said,  only  a  few  days 
ago,  that  he  envied  Mr.  Erskine  more  than  any  one  he 
knew,  because  he  excelled  in  so  many  directions.  After 
all,  it  must  have  been  his  wisdom  that  overawed  me." 

"There,  Madge, .it  is  simply  audacious  for  us  to  sit 
here  settling  affairs  in  this  calm  way.  How  indignant 
Chipie  Avould  lie  if  she  were  here  to  overhear  us  !  We 
haven't  even  a  foundation  for  our  surmises." 

"If  Chipie  marries,  — any  one  I  mean,  —  what  is  to 
become  of  the  grand  novel  she  is  planning?  I  thought 
that  you  considered  it  wrong  to  marry  when  possessed 
of  genius  ! " 

"I  never  hinted  the  idea,  Madge.  How  do  you  get 
such  erroneous  ideas  into  your  head?  But  I  mustn't 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  135 

speak  again  till  I  get  this  color  laid  in.  I  will  listen  to 
you,  and  that  will  be  much  nicer,  if  you  won't  talk  non- 
sense." 

"Ho-hum!  why  wasn't  I  gifted,  I  wonder?"  sighed 
Madge,  sinking  back  into  her  chair,  and  watching  Kate's 
quick  touches.  "  I  can't  paint ;  I  can't  write  ;  I'm  not  a 
remarkable  musician.  The  only  nice  thing  that  I  can  do 
is  to  decorate  Turkish  towelling  and  embroider,  and  one 
is  never  lauded  for  that  accomplishment." 

Madge's  voice  was  humble  for  once,  but  it  did  not  re- 
main so  long.  After  chatting  on  for  some  minutes 
she  drew  a  little  note-book  from  her  pocket,  and  began  to 
read  aloud  the  plans  and  engagements  for  the  next  week. 

"  I  am  so  glad  that  Mr.  Jerrold  has  asked  us  to  take 
that  lovely  sail  up  the  river,  Tuesday  night !  .  I've  always 
wanted  to  take  it  by  moonlight." 

"Yes,  and  Mr.  Erskine  and  Carl  will  see  the  falls. 
I  am  glad,  for  it  is  a  lovely  sail,  and  I  like  Saxony  to 
make  a  good  impression  upon  visitors." 

"  We  have  ever  so  many  nice  things  for  next  week," 
Madge  said,  smiling  with  satisfaction.  "Thursday 
General  Winthrop  has  his  lawn-party,  — of  course,  that 
is  to  please  you,  —  and  Friday  we  have  our  Chicopee 
excursion.  Then  Grove  has  projects  for  the  other  days. 
I  heard  Mr.  Erskine  and  Chipie  planning  to  ride  over 
to  Wesley,  Monday  morning,  to  see  something — I  don't 
know  what — which  they  have  discovered  to  be  of  his- 
toric value  ;  "  and  Madge  ended  her  sentence  with  a  sar- 
.  castic  smile. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  JOE,  what  is  it?     What  makes  you  so  rest- 
less, old  fellow  ?  " 

The  exclamation  came  from  Kate,  as  she  sat 
alone  in  her  studio,  giving  the  finishing  touches  to  Chipie's 
portrait,  which,  owing  to  many  interruptions,  had 
seemed  destined  never  to  be  completed.  She  had  been 
working  diligently  upon  it  all  the  morning,  having 
given  up  the  fishing-party  on  account  of  Madge,  who 
had  hurt  her  ankle  the  previous  day,  and  was  prudent 
enough  to  see  that  a  day's  tramping  expedition  would 
not  benefit  it.  Kate  wanted  to  finish  her  picture  before 
the  party  returned,  and  until  about  a  half  an  hour  before 
Madge  had  been  in  the  studio  with  her,  reading  aloud. 
The  day  had  been  warm  and  sultry,  but  Kate  had 
kept  at  her  easel  unflaggingly.  At  last,  however,  she 
threw  down  her  brush,  and  stepped  back  to  survey  her 
work.  As  she  did  so  a  shadow  fell  across  the  canvas, 
and  a  low  growl  from  Major  made  her  turn  toward  the 
window.  For  some  time  the  dog  had  been  showing 
signs  of  uneasiness,  but  Kate  had  been  too  deeply  ab- 
sorbed in  her  painting  to  notice  it,  save  by  an  occasional 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  137 

ejaculation.  Now  she  approached  the  window  and 
looked  out.  Heavy  clouds  had  been  rolling  up  in  gigan- 
tic masses,  and  the  sky  met  her  gaze  with  threatening 
menace.  Was  Major's  howl  an  instinctive  expression 
of  coining  danger?  A  thrill  ran  through  Kate,  as  she 
stood  for  a  moment  lost  in  wonder  at  the  scene  before 
her,  and  then  she  remembered,  with  a  start,  that  Madge 
had  said  something,  as  she  left  the  room,  about  going 
to  the  lake  to  practise  feathering  her  oars. 

"What  if  she  is  in  the  boat?"  cried  Kate,  aloud. 
"  With  her  inexperience  she  will  be  helpless  !  " 

Ringing  the  bell  hastily,  she  ran  to  her  room,  and 
had  just  gotten  into  her  boating-suit,  when  Violet, 
trembling  and  frightened,  appeared,  exclaiming :  — 

"O  honey  chile,  whar,  fur  de  good  Lord's  sake,  am 
Mis'  Madge  ?  Do  she  done  com'  in  yet  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  Violet.  Do  you  know  anything 
about  her?"  Kate  cried,  her  fears  increased  by  the  ser- 
vant's face  and  voice. 

"O  Mis'  Kate,  I  specs  fur  shu  she  be  in  de  boat; 
she  com' t'  me  a  good  haf  hou'  'go,  'an  ax  fur  de  basket 
fur  t'  tote  posies  in,  an  say  as  how  she  was  gwine  t'  take 
a  row,  an  did  Tony  hab  de  boat-house  key?  O  honey, 
it's  commin  a  dum-foundn  storm  fur  shu  !  " 

As  if  to  verify  her  words,  a  crash  of  thunder  rent 
the  air.  Without  another  word  Kate  flew  down  the 
stairs,  and  was  rushing  from  the  house,  when  a  thought 
sent  her  back  to  Violet. 


138  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"  Violet,  unless  mamma  wakes,  do  not  disturb  her, 
nor  let  her  know  about  Madge,  for  it  would  only  alarm 
her.  Go  instantly,  and  send  Tony  and  Caesar  to  the 
lake." 

A  second  after,  when  Kate  opened  the  outer  door,  it 
was  blown  back  with  a  bang,  and  the  air,  so  oppres- 
sive a  few  moments  before,  was  filled  with  the  shrieks 
of  the  rampant  wind.  The  storm  had  broken  in  all  its 
fury,  and  the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents.  In  quick 
succession  came  the  booms  of  thunder  and  lightning 
flashes,  as  Kate,  bowing  her  head  to  receive  the  deluge, 
ran  as  fast  as  she  could  make  her  way  against  the  bat- 
tling elements.  She  was  drenched  before  she  had  got- 
ten half  way  to  the  boat-house.  With  suspended 
breath  she  turned  the  curve  which  brought  the  broad 
lake  into  view,  and,  shielding  her  eyes,  gazed  intently 
out.  Like  a  miniature  ocean  the  waves  gathered  and 
tossed.  The  trees  creaked  and  swayed  as  if  in  agony 
at  the  remorselessness  with  which  their  limbs  were 
being  snapped  from  them  and  sent  whirling  through  the 
air.  Just  as  Kate  caught  sight  of  the  frail  barque  in 
the  distance,  whirling  and  twirling  like  a  frightened 
humming-bird,  a  deafening  peal  thundered  forth,  and,  a 
minute  after,  the  beech-tree,  which  had  supplied  Don- 
ald's squirrels  with  nuts  for  years,  was  blasted  to  the 
base.  Kate  raised  her  voice  :  — 

"  Madge  !  Madge  !  courage  !  courage  !  " 

With  mocking   rage    the  wind    caught   the  words, 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  139 

drowning  them  in  the  thudding  waters.  The  small 
field-glass,  which  Kate  had  brought  down,  disclosed 
Madge  sitting  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  Her  boating 
experience  had  never  extended  beyond  a  graceful  pull 
on  an  unruffled  surface,  and  she  had  found  herself  un- 
able to  cope  in  this  emergency.  The  boat-house  door 
was  unlatched,  but  when  Kate  pushed  it  open,  she  found, 
to  her  dismay,  that  the  only  boat  unfastened  was  a 
heavy  scull.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  spend  in  wait- 
ing for  help.  The  clumsy  thing  must  be  taken,  and 
with  a  despairing  glance  at  the  lighter  boats  Kate 
pushed  off.  She  could  see  poor  Madge  tossing  about 
like  a  chip,  far  across  the  lake,  which  had  never  before 
seemed  so  immense, 

"Oh,  why  did  it  happen  to-day?"  she  groaned,  as 
she  made  desperate  efforts  to  keep  her  direction  against 
opposing  forces.  "  To  think  that  even  papa  is  away  !  " 

She  gave  another  shout  of  encouragement,  and  al- 
though Madge  caught  but  an  echo,  she  was  comforted 
by  the  sight  of  her  cousin,  who,  in  spite  of  impeded 
progress,  was  lessening  the  distance  between  them.  A 
fresh  glimmer  of  courage  caused  her  to  seize  her  one 
oar,  the  other  having  been  wrested  from  her,  which  she 
brandished  from  side  to  side  aimlessly ;  but  she  again 
abandoned  it  as  Kate  came  up  as  nearly  alongside  as 
the  tempest  would  allow. 

"  Madge,  put  down  your  oar  and  listen  to  me.  Stop 
crying,  Madge  !  Every  moment  is  precious,  and  our 


140  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

only  hope  for  safety  depends  upon  keeping  calm.  I 
will  get  my  boat  as  close  to  yours  as  I  can,  and  with 
both  hands  hold  on  to  the  skiff,  and  when  I  say  '  JVow,' 
you  must  step  over." 

"Oh,  I  can't,  I  can't!"  moaned  Madge,  as  the  two 
boats  struck  against  each  other  and  then  swept  apart. 
"  Think  what  a  risk  it  is  !  One  lurch  and  I  should  be 
lost !  "  Pale  and  trembling,  she  stared  at  her  cousin. 

"  Madge,  you  must !  It  is  your  only  chance.  This 
torrent  may  keep  up  an  hour  longer,  and  already  see 
the  condition  of  your  boat !  If  you  remain,  you  must 
founder  or  be  capsized  !  Now  for  action  !  " 

She  gave  a  dexterous  stroke,  shipped  her  oars  like  a 
flash,  and  grasped  the  side  of  the  tiny  skiff.  The  suck- 
ing of  the  waves  made  it  almost  impossible  to  hold,  even 
for  a  moment,  but  a  supernatural  strength  had  come  to 
her. 

"  Madge,  now!" 

With  a  gasp  Madge  stood  up  and  half-tottered,  half- 
leaped,  into  the  boat.  Her  feet  had  hardly  touched  the 
bottom,  when  a  circling  eddy  sent  the  skiff  apart, 
tossed  it  on  its  side,  and,  a  minute  after,  it  sank. 

As  Kate  began  her  backward  pull  she  felt  the  weight 
of  the  boat  increasing  so  rapidly  that  it  aroused  her 
'suspicions  ;  she  saw  that,  violent  as  Avas  the  storm,  the 
water  could  not  fill  in  so  fast  unless  there  were  a  leak. 
Solicitude  for  Madge  had  kept  the  thought  from  occur- 
ring to  her  before  ;  but,  now,  the  bubbling  and  gurgling 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  141 

left  no  ground  for  doubt.  She  attempted  to  quicken 
her  strokes,  but  it  was  like  pulling  against  a  leaden 
weight.  Her  arms  were  becoming  numb,  and  her  heart 
sank  with  the  thought  that  perhaps,  after  all,  her  efforts 
had  been  for  naught.  They  were  still  but  a  little  beyond 
the  middle  of  the  lake.  She  drew  in  her  oars  for  a  mo- 
ment's respite ;  if  it  were  not  for  Madge,  she  felt  that 
she  would  willingly  give  up  the  contest.  A  torpor  was 
seizing  her !  "  Oh,  how  delightful,"  she  murmured 
dreamily,  "  to  lie  back  and  sleep  !  "What  was  Madge 
saying? — 'Kate,  why  do  you  stop  rowing?  You 
aren't  going  to  let  us  drown,  after  all?  O  Kate, 
pull,  —  do  pull !  You  know  I  can  do  nothing  ! ' " 

The  words  sounded  vague  and  far  away  to  Kate,  and 
she  asked  herself,  wonderingly,  "  Why  does  Madge 
care  to  live  ?  "  Then  came  the  remembrance  of  a  hid- 
eous turtle  which  Donald  had  captured  a  day  or  two 
before,  when  trolling  for  pickerel ;  it  had  snapped  the 
line  and  gone  down  just  where  the  boat  was  now  rock- 
ing. "If  the  boat  should  sink,"  she  thought  vaguely, 
"  we  should  find  the  ugly  monster,  and  a  lot  of  its  fel- 
lows, waiting  to  wreak  vengeance  upon  their  human 
enemies." 

Again  a  volley  of  thunder  filled  the  air,  and  the 
lurid  sky,  as  it  clove  in  twain,  illumed  the  bank, 
showing  a  figure,  with  clasped  hands,  outlined  against 
the  boat-house. 

The  cry  which  had  rung  from  one  servant  to  another, 


142  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

that  "  Mis'  Kate  wur  drownding  in  de  boat, "had  reached 
Mrs.  Sturgis,  as,  awakened  by  the  storm,  she  had 
stepped  to  her  window  to  look  out.  She  had  sped  to 
the  lake,  and  was  now  enduring  the  agony  of  seeing 
her  child's  peril,  while  she  was  powerless  to  aid  in  the 
rescue.  At  least,  so  it  seemed  to  her  ;  but.  in  truth,  the 
sight  of  that  figure  on  the  shore  proved  the  most  effect- 
ual help  to  Kate.  It  acted  like  an  electric  shock :  the 
growing  lethargy  was  dispelled,  and,  resuming  her  oars, 
she  bent  forward.  If  she  and  Madge  were  to  be 
drowned  it  should  not  be  because  of  her  inaction. 

Slowly  the  boat  made  way,  and  it  was  only  when 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  shore  that  Kate's  supernat- 
ural strength,  which  had  been  given  her  a  second  time, 
gave  way,  and  the  servants,  who,  in  their  terror,  had 
waded  out  as  far  as  they  could,  were  able  to  clutch  the 
boat  just  as  their  young  mistress  fell  forward  lifeless. 

"  Take  care  of  mamma  and  Madge  !  "  were  the  last 
words  which  her  cousin  heard. 


CHAPTER  Xni. 

ONDERFUL  !  "  "  Delicious  !  "  «  Delightful !  " 
were  some  of  the  glad  ejaculations,  as  the  fish- 
ing-party came  in  sight  of  Chavenage,  just  at 
sunset,  the  day's  success  showing  itself  in  the  strings  of 
fine  bass. 

"What  a  renewing  everything  has  had  this  after- 
noon !  "  exclaimed  Grove,  motioning  towards  the  drip- 
ping shrubs  and  trees  sparkling  with  the  gold  of  sunset. 
"I,  for  one,  cry  blessing  on  thunder-storms,  in  spite  of 
the  ruin  they  bring  on  lunch-baskets  !  " 

"  And  I  echo  your*  cry,"  said  Chipie,  gayly.  "  I  never 
saw  anything  so  furious  before.  How  Kate  would  have 
enjoyed  it  if  she  had  been  with  us  !  She  revels  in 
storms,  you  know  !  " 

"Yes,  the  day  has  been  complete  !"  said  Donald,  as 
he  dwelt  with  pride  upon  his  fishy  treasures.  "But  I 
tell  you  what.  I  thought  we  were  in  for  a  drenching 
just  before  that  old  shanty  hove  in  sight.  We  were 
lucky  that  we  weren't  caught  on  the  water ;  we  should 
have  been  booked  for  'kingdom  come,'  if  we  had 
been!" 


144  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"  It  was  uncommon  luck,  getting  housed  as  we  did," 
said  Grove.  "  It  gave  us  precious  little  warning,  con- 
sidering our  scattered  belongings ;  but,  as  the  lunch- 
baskets  were  the  only  sufferers,  we  may  congratulate 
ourselves,  for  it  showed  us  a  sight  from  our  little 
shelter  well  worth  the  trouble  we  were  put  to." 

"  I  suppose  that  auntie  arid  the  girls  have  been 
worrying  about  us  all  the  afternoon,"  observed  Winny, 
regretfully  ;  "  and  there  we  were  enjoying  every  bit  of 
it." 

Alas  !  the  poor  hearts  little  guessed  how  small  a  share 
they  had  had  in  the  afternoon's  anxiety  !  As  the  carriage 
drove  through  the  gate- way,  Mr.  Erskine  and  the  friends 
from  Wildwood  having  said  good-by  and  driven  on,  Dr. 
Francke's  old-fashioned  chaise  was  noticed  standing  by 
one  of  the  side-doors.  The  horse's  steaming  sides  in- 
dicated sharp  trotting.  Dr.  Francke  was  emphatically 
an  humane  old  gentleman,  and,  unjess  a  case  of  life  or 
death  demanded  it,  he  never  raised  a  lather  on  his 
horse's  coat.  Grove  knew  this,  and  the  sight  of  the 
panting  animal  made  him  start  involuntarily.  His 
glance  flew  to  the  house.  The  doors  and  shutters, 
usually  open  at  this  hour,  were  closed.  From  one  to 
another  quick,  anxious  glances  passed,  and  the  war- 
whoop  with  which  Donald  was  about  to  herald  their 
arrival  died  upon  his  lips.  Grove  helped  the  girls  out, 
and  hurried  towards  the  house,  where,  at  the  door,  he 
was  met  by  Mrs.  Sturgis  and  Dr.  Francke.  It  did  not 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  145 

need  the  warning  finger,  which  the  former  held  up,  to 
tell  that  something  sorrowful  had  happened ;  the 
white  face  and  sad  eyes  told  the  story  only  too  plainly. 

"  Mother,  it  isn't  Kate?"  whispered  Grove,  hoarsely, 
as  he  grasped  the  hand  held  out  to  him. 

For  reply  Mrs.  Sturgis  turned  and  motioned  the 
group  —  for  the  others  had  quickly  followed  Grove  — 
into  the  library  ;  and,  with  the  eager  eyes  fastened  upon 
her,  she  sat  down  and  related  the  afternoon's  cruel 
adventure. 

"  Madge  was  very  much  frightened ;  otherwise  she 
was  uninjured,"  she  said.  "But  Kate,  —  my  brave 
Kate  !  Children,  it  is  terrible  !  She  is  lying  now  as 
lifeless  as  when  lifted  from  the  boat." 

Mrs.  Sturgis  bowed  her  head  ;  she  did  not  weep,  —  she 
could  not ;  that  must  come  later  ;  now,  she  must  speed 
back  to  watch  for  a  life-sign  in  her  child's  face.  Then, 
too,  she  must  hide  her  own  grief,  and  do  what  she  could 
to  lighten  the  misery  settling  upon  the  faces  around 
her.  Grove's  features  were  white  and  set,  as  he  gave 
Chipie  a  look  of  entreaty  to  comfort  his  mother,  and 
left  the  room. 

Doctor  Francke  was  standing  in  the  door-way,  look- 
ing at  his  watch,  as  Grove  came  forward. 

"My  poor  fellow,"  he  said,  kindly,  "this  is  a  sad 
return  for  you,  but  don't  take  it  too  seriously  ;  we  will 
bring  the  little  sister  out  all  right,  if  things  do  look  a 
little  black  just  now." 


146  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"  Doctor,  tell  me  the  truth.  Is  here  any  real  danger? 
Does  this  mean  more  than  reaction  from  overtaxed 
strength  and  excitement?" 

"  Grove,  boy,"  said  the  good  man,  putting  his  hand 
earnestly  upon  Grove's  shoulder,  "I  think  that. I  am 
safe  to  say  that  the  child  will  come  out  all  right ;  but  a 
hard  illness  —  perhaps  a  long  illness —  must  come  first ; 
that  is  inevitable  after  the  complete  prostration  which 
she  has  undergone.  Where  she  knocked  up  strength 
to  carry  the  deuced  affair  through  passes  my  compre- 
hension. No  wonder  that  her  arms  are  swollen  to  twice 
their  proper  size  ;  and  to  think,  too,  of  the  cold  drench- 
ing on  the  top  of  all  the  rest !  'Twas  a  deuced  bad 
piece  of  business." 

Grove  remained  standing  a  minute,  and  then  turned 
away. 

"  One  moment,  my  boy,"  said  Dr.  Francke,  holding 
out  a  detaining  hand.  "You  well  know  how  tenderly  I 
love  the  little  sister  !  Of  course  I  shall  remain  here  all 
night.  I  have  one  or  two  calls  to  make  first,  but  no 
change  is  likely  to  occur  before  my  return  ;  in  any  case, 
your  mother  knows  what  to  do." 

Grove  left  him  drawing  on  his  gloves,  and  went 
slowly  to  Kate's  room,  where  he  approached  the  bed- 
side and  knelt  down.  Could  it  be  that  this  was  the 
same  face  that  had  beamed  the  merry  good-by  to  him 
in  the  morning?  Death  was  well  counterfeited;  white 
and  still,  the  face  rested  upon  the  pillow;  the  brown 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  147 

hair  was  brushed  back  from  the  pure  forehead,  and  the 
hands  remained  outside  the  sheet,  as  they  had  been 
placed.  What  if  the  beautiful  gray  eyes  had  opened 
for  the  last  time  !  What  if  Doctor  Francke  had  mis- 
taken the  meaning  of  this  stillness  !  Grove  bowed  his 
head,  and  for  a  time  the  very  air  throbbed  in  sympathy. 

It  was  only  when  his  mother's  hand  was  placed 
gently  upon  his  head  that  he  arose ;  pointing  to  the 
tace  on  the  pillow,  he  whispered  hoarsely :  — 

"  What  does  it  mean  ?  " 

"It  means,  Grove,  that  we  have  a  battle  to  fight ;  and, 
to  fight  it  well,  we  must  prepare  ourselves  with  brave 
hearts.  Now,  dear,  leave  me  here,  and  go  down  to 
dinner.  Do  make  it  as  cheerful  as  possible  for  the 
girls  and  Donald,  for  they  are  in  such  a  bewildered  con- 
dition. I've  just  spoken  to  Tony  about  meeting  papa  ; 
he  comes  on  the  eight-o'clock  train.  I  dread  the  shock 
this  will  give  him  !  " 

"  I  will  be  on  the  watch  for  him,  motherdy,  and  make 
it  as  easy  as  I  can ; "  and  with  a  last  pained  look  toward 
the  bed  Grove  left  the  room.  On  his  way  to  the 
dining-room  he  stopped  at  Madge's  door,  and  knocked. 
Madge  opened  it ;  she  looked  pale  and  tired,  and  had 
evidently  taken  cold,  for  she  was  wrapped  up  in  a  white 
cloak,  and  her  head  was  bandaged,  but  so  disguised  by 
a  white  lace  scarf  as  to  be  rather  effective  than  other- 
wise. Madge  had  not  an  idea  of  making  herself  ugly, 
under  any  circumstances.  She  was  in  anything  but  an 


148  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

agreeable  mood  when  Grove  presented  himself,  for  she 
felt  that  she  deserved  far  more  consideration  than  she 
had  received,  since  her  aunt's  first  inquiries  and  atten- 
tions ;  thus  it  was  with  an  air  of  petulance  that  she 
sank  into  an  arm-chair,  and  waited  for  her  cousin's 
words  of  condolence. 

"  My  dear  little  Madge,  you've  had  a  pretty  hard 
time,  haven't  you?  Motherdy  has  been  telling  us  how 
frightened  you  were.  You  look  pale,  poor  child  ;  can  I 
do  anything  for  you  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,  nothing ;  but,  Grove,  why  doesn't  Chipie 
come  to  me?  Does  she  know  what  frightful  peril  I 
have  been  in,  and  that  I  have  been  simply  snatched 
from  the  jaws  of  death  ?  It  seems  that  no  one  has  been 
especially  overburdened  on  my  behalf ! "  and  Madge 
gave  an  injured  little  sniff. 

"Poor  child,  you  are  unnerved,"  responded  Grove, 
rather  mechanically,  it  must  be  confessed,  for  he  was 
in  no  mood  to  offer  consolation,  and  Madge's  selfish- 
ness jarred  upon  him.  He  tried  to  comfort  her,  how- 
ever, and  presently  Chipie  came  in.  She  looked  sur- 
prised to  see  Madge  gotten  up  with  such  studied  care. 
She  could  not  help  exclaiming,  a  little  impatiently,  after 
bestowing  a  kiss  upon  her  sister's  petulant-looking 
lips :  — 

"Why,  Madge,  where  did  you  find  heart  to  go  to 
all  that  trouble?  I  feel  as  if  I  could  never  again  do 
another  bit  of  prinking." 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  149 

"  For  my  part,  I  think  it  quite  as  easy  to  make  one's 
self  presentable  as  ugly,  and  it  is  certainly  much  more 
agreeable  to  one's  friends,"  remarked  Madge,  rather 
frigidly.  K  Chipie,  you  aren't  nice  at  all ;  you  are 
cross,  and  your  hair-pins  are  sticking  out  in  all  direc- 
tions. Please  don't  stay  in  my  room  till  you  make 
yourself  fresh." 

Madge  turned  away  languidly,  and  Chipie,  smooth- 
ing Grove's  forehead  softly,  said  :  — 

"And  now,  Grove,  what  can  I  do  to  relieve  auntie, 
and  make  myself  of  use  ?  " 

"There  is  nothing  at  present,  Chipie,  unless  you 
will  try  to  cheer  up  Winny  and  Donald.  Let  us  go 
down  to  dinner  now,  if  we  don't  care  about  it,  for 
motherdy  will  feel  relieved  to  know  that  we  are  there." 

"Very  well,"  responded  Chipie;  "in  three  minutes 
I  shall  be  ready  to  go  down.  I  will  find  Donald  and 
bring  him  in  ;  I  think  I  know  his  hiding-place,  poor 
boy  ! " 

Soon  after,  Chipie  crossed  the  drive  towards  a  ham- 
mock hidden  away  amongst  some  tall  shrubs ;  as  she 
did  so,  she  saw  the  fine  bass,  which  they  had  all  been 
glorying  in,  scattered  about  on  the  drive,  while  Beno, 
the  Angola  cat,  was  reaping  the  benefit  of  the  day's 
patient  toil,  and  her  own  slyness.  It  struck  her  with  a 
pathetic  feeling  of  half  amusement,  as  she  hastened  on 
to  where  she  found,  as  she  had  expected,  Donald  lying, 
with  covered  face,  in  the  hammock. 


150  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"Donnie,  dear,"  she  said  gently,  "I  am  come  to 
tell  you  what  we've  all  decided  to  do,  for  dear  Aunt 
Paulien's  sake.  We  are  going  to  be  just  as  cheerful  and 
hopeful  as  we  possibly  can  be,  and  not  look  upon  the 
dark  side  at  all,  for  it  will  be  such  a  weight  upon  auntie 
to  see  us  miserable,  in  addition  to  everything  else. 
Won't  you  be  brave  and  do  your  part,  dear?  Winny 
is  in  the  library,  crying.  I've  been  trying  to  comfort 
her,  but  I  am  sure  that  no  one  can  do  it  so  well  as  you  ; 
so  you  will  go  in  with  me,  won't  you?  We  are  just 
going  to  dinner." 

"Oh,  I  cairt,  Chip!  I  don't  want  any  dinner;  it 
makes  me  sick  to  think  of  it.  Chip,  why  in  time 
couldn't  those  stupid  blockheads  have  done  something? 
They  ought  to  have  their  heads  punched,  —  ever}'  one 
of  them." 

Chipie  welcomed  this  passionate  outburst,  thinking 
it  far  less  depressing  than  the  quiet,  brooding  sorrow, 
most  natural  to  the  boy  when  hurt,  and  after  a  little 
urging  he  got  up  and  accompanied  Chipie  into  the 
house.  Chipie  took  her  aunt's  place  at  the  end  of  the 
table  ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  resolutions  to  be  cheer- 
ful, the  dinner  was  a  dull,  miserable  affair,  and  it  was 
a  relief  when  it  was  over. 

No  change  had  taken  place  when  the  doctor  returned. 
Not  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  did  the  heavy  eye- 
lids unclose,  and  a  pair  of  wild  eyes  look  out  upon  the 
watchers.  The  lips  parted  only  to  utter  words  of 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  15 1 

delirium  ;  fever  had  gotten  Kate  firm  in  its  grasp,  and 
for  hours  the  loved  ones  about  her  were  tortured  by 
her  cries  for  help,  and  beseeching  entreaties  to  hold  the 
boat,  that  Madge  might  be  saved.  Daylight  dawned, 
and  the  light  which  forced  its  way  through  the  closed 
shutters  fell  upon  anxious  faces,  unrefreshed  by  sleep 
or  hope.  After  breakfast,  when  the  family  were 
gathered  in  the  library  to  decide  upon  future  action, 
Mrs.  Sturgis  said,  her  voice  full  of  regret  and  sad- 
ness :  — 

"My  dear  girlies,  tell  me  what  is  to  be  done  about 
all  the  good  times !  I  can't  ask  you  to  stay  here 
through  the  sad  weeks  which  are  before  us  ;  that  would 
be  unheard-of  selfishness,  when  so  much  brightness 
awaits  you  elsewhere." 

"Aunt  PaulienI"  cried  Chipie,  reproachfully,  as  she 
placed  herself  in  front  of  her  aunt ;  "  what  sort  of  girls 
do  you  think  us?  Do  you  imagine,  for  a  single  second, 
that  we  could  find  pleasure  anywhere,  or  would  wish 
to  try,  while  that  child  is  lying  upstairs  ill?  Auntie, 
don't  send  us  away  !  We  can't  go  !  If  you  Avill  let 
us  stay,  we  will  do  anything  and  everything  that  we 
can  do  to  help,  and  when  we  arc  not  needed  we  will 
keep  so  quiet  that  you  will  not  know  we  are  in  the 
house." 

"My  dear  child,"  Mrs.  Sturgis  returned,  "it  is  good 
in  you  to  say  this,  but  I  feel  that  I  ought  not  to  allow 
the  sacrifice.  What  does  Madge  say  ?  " 


152  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"That  Chipie  is  right,  and  we  want  to  remain.' 
answered  Madge. 

Mrs.  Sturgis  arose  and  went  to  the  window,  where 
she  stood  for  some  minutes  in  silence,  and  when  she 
resumed  her  seat,  she  said  gladly :  — 

"Then,  dears,  if  you  are  really  willing  to  stay  and 
help  us  bear  the  burden  of  anxiety,  you  shall.  I  con- 
fers," she  added,  smiling,  "that  it  will  be  a  great  com- 
fort, having  you  !  But,  remember,  you  will  l>e  .shutting 
yourselves  away  from  all  sorts  of  sea-side  and  mountain 
enjoyments ;  are  you  sure  that  you  won't  regret  it  ? '' 

" Auntie!"  was  the  vehement  response;  and  so  it 
was  settled. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  any  of  the  young  people 
had  been  in  contact  with  severe  illness,  and  it  took  days 
before  the  misery  of  it  wore  off.  But  finally  the  hushed 
voices  and  silent  footsteps  became  a  part  of  their  life. 
and  they  were  able  to  settle  down  to  regular  pursuits. 
A  certain  number  of  hours,  each  day,  were  devoted  to 
reading  and  German,  in  which  latter  diversion  Carl 
was  invaluable.  Chipie  spent  much  time  in  her  own 
room,  and,  although  her  fingers  were  guiltless  of  ink- 
spots,  the  thoughtful  brow  was  suggestive. 

Carl  had  accepted  Jerrold's  invitation  to  spend  the 

time  of    Kate's  illness  at  Wildwood,  thinking  that  it 

would  relieve  Mrs.  Sturgis  from  the  anxiety  of  host- 

The  gentlemen  came  daily  to  make  inquiries  after 

Kate,  and  as  for  Jerrold  he  seemed  quite  beside  him- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  153 

self,  and  took  no  pains  to  conceal  his  grief  and  appre- 
hension. Kate  would  have  had  no  reas'on  to  complain 
of  his  smile  at  this  period,  for  grim  and  melancholy 
he  wandered  about,  until  Grove  grew  desperate  because 
courtesy  forbade  his  giving  Jerrold  a  thrashing. 

"  The  beggar  !  "  exclaimed  Donald  to  Winny,  a  dozen 
times  a  week.  "  What  right  has  he  to  go  mooning 
around,  about  our  Kate,  I'd  like  to  know  ! "  It  was 
well  for  Carl  that  he  was  not  dependent  upon  his  young 
host  for  entertainment,  for  the  position  was  being  filled 
most  questionably. 

The  days  now  passed  by,  much  alike,  the  point  of 
interest  to  all  centring  in  the  reports  from  the  sick- 
room. As  Doctor  Francke  had  predicted,  the  fever 
continued  to  rage  long  and  stubbornly.  One  week 
after  another  went  by,  bringing  no  mitigation  to  the 
sufferer,  until  Doctor  Francke  began  to  look  strangely 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

T  the  end  of  four  weeks,  on  a  Thursday  night, 
came  the  verdict  which  stilled  the  hearts  of  the 
household  whose  hopes,  until  now,  had  never 
quite  forsaken  them,  even  in  the  darkest  hours. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  afternoon  Kate  had  relapsed 
into  unconsciousness,  and  had  ever  since  been  lying  as 
if  already  beyond  the  vale. 

It  was  strange  that  the  group,  listening  breathlo-lv 
for  Doctor  Francke's  first  words,  as  he  came  into  the 
room,  should  have  been  so  entirely  unprepared  for  the 
sentence.  For  a  minute  or  two  he  said  nothing,  but  a 
husky  cough  from  Donald  seemed  to  rouse  him  to  his 
task,  and,  taking  out  his  handkerchief,  he  passed  it  thrice 
across  his  forehead,  and  then  in  low,  pitying  accents, 
spoke  :  — 

"  My  poor  hearts,  I've  fought  the  enemy  like  a  tiger. 
I've  exhausted  my  little  stock  of  human  knowledge; 
there  is  nothing  now  but  to  await  the  close  !  " 

No  one  spoke.  The  dull  hearts  seemed  to  have  ceased 
their  beating.  Grove  was  first  to  move  ;  he  got  up 
without  speaking,  and  left  the  room.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  157 

Sturgis  had  not  come  down,  but  the  others  were  all 
present.  Chipie  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence  :  — 

"  Doctor  Francke,  you  do  not  —  do  not  mean  that  Kate 
is  going  to  die?" 

"My  child,  I  can  give  you  no  hope;  there  is  none. 
From  the  beginning  I  have  counted  wholly  upon  her 
grand  constitution,  and,  in  fact,  it  has  been  my  one  right 
for  hope." 

Donald  sat  gazing  at  Doctor  Francke  as  if  unable  to 
take  in  the  import  of  his  words.  Madge  was  sobbing 
bitterly,  and  Winny  clung,  trembling,  to  Chipie's  hand. 
For  once  Chipie  was  unable  to  feel  for  any  one  but  her- 
self, and  presently  she  went  out.  She  was  making  her 
way  blindly  to  her  room,  when  a  muffled  groan  from 
the  sans-souci  led  her  to  look  in.  Grove  was  lying  on  a 
sofa,  almost  as  lifeless,  in  the  dim  light,  as  the  figure 
upstairs.  By  his  side  knelt  Violet,  her  black  hands 
tenderly  smoothing  his  hair,  while  the  musical  voice 
poured  out  words  of  hope  and  love  :  — 

"  O  my  bressed  chile  —  my  dee  Massr  Grove,  don't, 
fur  de  good  Lord's  sake,  be  so  broke  down.  Ise  tel* 
yah,  Massr  Grove,  Ise  no  sort  ob  dissuasion  dat  de  dee 
lamb  am  gwine  t'  be  took  home  t'  ole  Abram's  bosom, 
yet  a  spell,  nohow.  Now  jes  yah  listen  t'  ole  Vi'let  and 
har  fur  yah  sel'  how  she  done  know  it !  Las'  night  I  war 
a-settin'  rockin'  alongside  ob  de  winder,  w'en  all  ob  a 
sudden-like,  de  room  war  full  ob  de  glory  ob  de  New 
Jerusha-land.  I  set  up,  all  ob  a  scare-like,  wen  wot 


158  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

yah  tink  I  see,  honey  dee?  Jes  as  shu  as  de  gos'  I  see 
a  procesh  oh  de  whitest,  shiniest  angels  dat  eber  yah 
see,  a-tunin'^ob  harps  an'  'cordions  an' cimbals.  Dey 
float  by  all  so  buful  and  upliftin',  when  all  ob  a  sudden- 
like  our  bressed  chile  com  'long  like  'er  own  self,  an 
beckon  t'  um  did  dey  want  her  t'  jine  urn  !  I  eyes  um 
jes  as  sharp-like,  an  I  see  um  smile  an'  nod  so  comfort  in', 
and  den  de  one  wid  de  longest  wings  jes  tossed  our 
lamb  a  white  rosy  wid  a  heap  ob  pedal*  —  dat's  wot  de 
chile  calls  de  leafs  ob  de  posies,  pedals — onto  it,  and 
said  as  how  she  would  live  jes  as  many  y'ars  as  dey  was 
pedals  onto  de  rosy,  —  an'  dat  war  heaps.  Now  how 
yah  feel,  Massr  Grove?" 

If  Grove  heard  the  words  he  gave  no  sign ;  but,  un- 
conscious though  he  might  have  been  of  it,  it  was  sooth- 
ing to  have  the  old  mammie  near,  and  to  feel  the  sym- 
pathy with  which  she  had  so  many  times  assuaged  his 
child-griefs. 

"Ise  one  mo'  ebidence,  chile,"  she  resumed,  pres- 
ently, "  an'  yah  mus' take  it  fyah  soul,  cause  it  com' 
from  de  great  Book  like,  as  if  't  war  writ  for  dis  solem' 
'casion.  I  war  alt  in  de  valley  of  trib'lation,  when  in 
com  my  ole  Tony,  lookin'  all  sort  ob  'spired,  an'  he  say, 
so  cheery-like,  f  Come,  don't  gib  up  de  ship  till  yah's  got 
more  reason  den  earthly  tellin','  an'  he  jes  fetched  de  big 
Book,  wot  she  gabe  us  her  bressed  self  las'  Christmast, 
an'  he  say,  my  Tony  did,  'Now  Ise  open  jes  as  de  speret 
dictions,  an'  yah  shet  yah  eyes  an'  indicate  wid  dis  twig, 


MARPLOT     CUPID.  159 

a  varse  of  scripture ;  so  we  jes  done  it,  Massr  Grove, 
an'  dese  am  de  words  de  t\vig  teched  :  'An'  he  teched 
her  han'  an'  de  fever  left  her  :  an'  she  arose  an'  minis- 
tered unto  dem.'  Now,  now,  how  is  yah  fafe,  honey  dee  ?  " 

Chipie  waited  to  hear  no  more ;  her  room  was  dark, 
but,  groping  her  way  to  the  wrest  window,  she  sat  down 
and  leaned  her  head  out,  welcoming  the  breezes  which 
came  now  and  then  across  her  hot  cheeks ;  they  were 
few,  for  the  air  was  dull  and  heavy ;  it  had  been  rain- 
ing all  day,  and  had  held  up  but  a  short  time  before ; 
the  night  was  black,  and  the  only  sound  to  be  heard 
was  the  monotonous  drip  —  drip  —  from  the  trees. 

Doctor  Francke's  words  had  not  stunned  Chipie  as 
they  had  her  sister  and  cousins ;  already  she  felt  the 
agony  of  the  descending  blow  crushing  her.  The  tick- 
ing of  the  hall  clock  struck  upon  her  heart  like  a  requi- 
em as  she  bowed  her  head  upon  the  sill.  "  Can  it  be," 
she  breathed  huskily.  "  that  when  morning  comes  there 
will  be  no  Kate?  —  that  the  life  so  nobly  planned  will 
be  no  more?  O  God,  help  us!" 

Suddenly,  upon  the  still  air,  a  sound  rang  out  which 
brought  Chipie  to  her  feet,  in  dumb  horror ;  it  was  like 
nothing  she  had  ever  heard  or  imagined  :  it  was  hellish. 
What  was  it,  and  from  whence  did  it  come?  With 
beating  heart  Chipie  strained  her  ears  for  a  repetition. 
Hearing  nothing,  she  was  beginning  to  chide  herself, 
ascribing  the  sound  to  the  imagining  of  her  over- 
wrought brain,  when  again  came  the  cry.  This  time  it 


l6o  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

seemed  to  hover  over  her  very  head,  and,  shrill  and  un- 
earthly as  it  was,  it  was  rendered  doubly  demoniacal 
by  a  tremulous  undertone  which  rose  and  fell  with  a 
strange  significance. 

Chipie  grasped  the  back  of  her  chair  for  support, 
and,  brave  girl  as  she  was,  shook  as  if  ague  had 
seized  her.  In  the  midst  of  it  came  the  memory  of 
Nora  Aleen,  an  old  Irish  nurse  in  her  grandmother's 
family.  How  she  had  laughed  at  the  wild  tales  of 
banshees  which  Nora  had  declared  herself  knowing  to  ! 
But,  alas  !  she  had  laughed  in  ignorance ;  Nora  was 
right, — there  were  banshees. 

In  the  silence  which  followed,  Chipie  succeeded  in 
calming  herself  sufficiently  to  walk.  In  the  lower  hall 
she  met  Violet  coming  from  the  sans-souci,  and,  motion- 
ing her  to  wait,  she  whispered  :  — 

"  Violet,  did  you  hear  a  strange  noise,  a  few  minutes 
ago  ?  " 

"  Bress  yah,  honey-chile,  yah  wan't  no  wys  scared, 
was  yah?  Dat  wus  a  screech-owl." 

A  screech-owl !  So  this  was  the  cry  which  Kate  had 
tried  to  describe,  Chipie  now  remembered,  some  weeks 
before ;  it  was  one  evening  when  the  wind  and  rain  had 
been  raging  in  a  gruesome  way,  and  Kate  had  ex- 
claimed, "  We  need  but  one  thing  to  make  the  dreari- 
ness complete,  and  that  is,  the  cry  of  a  screech-owl." 
Chipie  had  then  wished  that  one  would  present  itself, 
that  she  might  experience  the  sensation  of  which  Kate 


MARPLOT    CUriD.  l6l 

spoke  ;  but  she  had  felt  it  effectually  now,  and  she  sank 
upon  the  stairs  to  recover  herself.  Plow  long  she  had 
been  there  she  did  not  know,  when  she  heard  Kate's 
door  open,  and  quick,  low  words  pass  between  her  aunt 
and  Doctor  Francke.  It  had  come  !  The  family  was 
about  to  be  summoned  !  Chipie  felt  that  she  could  not 
meet  the  message  alone  ;  she  must  be  near  some  one. 
She  threaded  her  way,  in  a  panic,  to  where  Grove  was 
lying,  and  seated  herself  beside  him. 

A  swift  step  sped  through  the  hall,  and  Mrs.  Sturgis 
came  in ;  but  Chipie,  unable  to  meet  her  aunt's  look, 
kept  her  head  down. 

"  J/y  children,  our  Kate  ivill  live,  —  a  change  is 
come  I " 

With  a  cry  Grove  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  then 
dropped  back,  while  the  lines  of  grief  slowly  relaxed. 

Through  the  long,  weary  days  strength  had  never 
forsaken  Mrs.  Sturgis,  but  now  she  buried  her  face  in 
her  hands,  and  wept  unrestrainedly.  Chipie  waited  a 
moment,  and  then  hurried  upstairs  to  Madge,  whom 
she  found  asleep,  with  the  tears  still  wet  upon  her  face. 
She  woke  her  up,  and  fell  into  hysterics.  Madge  raised 
herself  upon  one  elbow,  and  stared  at  Chipie  in  alarm ; 
but  finally  she  realized  what  the  incoherent  utterances 
meant,  and  her  countenance  grew  serene.  She  said  not 
a  word,  but,  with  a  long-drawn  sigh,  arose,  walked  to 
her  dressing-case,  and,  taking  out  a  new  box  of  hair- 
pins, began  doing  up  tier  crimps,  — a  solemn  rite  which 


1 62  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

she  had  never  failed  to  observe  until  this  day,  when 
sorrow  had  gained  the  ascendency  over  vanity,  and  the 
pretty  front  locks  had  been  allowed  to  wave  as  they 
would. 

Physical  relief  had  not  yet  come  to  the  watchers, 
although  the  lightened  spirits  imparted  new  strength 
for  the  constant  care,  —  as  necessary  now  as  before. 
The  girls  had  ample  opportunity  for  showing  their  de- 
votion to  Kate,  by  the  numberless  attentions  required 
by  a  convalescent.  Chipie,  especially,  was  untiring  in 
her  vigilance,  and  Mrs.  Sturgis  had  reason  to  bless  her 
again  and  again  for  her  persistence  in  remaining. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ISS  MARGRAVE,  I'm  glad  to  find  you  enjoy- 
ing this  fine  air  !  I  hope  you  have  found  it  as 
invigorating  as  I  have,  inmy  walk  from  General 
Winthrop's,  for  I'm  sure  you  need  it  sadly." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Erskine,  it  is  elixir,"  responded 
Chipie,  who  had  left  Kate's  room  five  minutes  before, 
and  had  come  out,  for  the  first  time  that  day,  for  a  taste 
of  out-door  sunshine.  "I've  been  imbibing  it  with  as 
much  rapture  as  I  imagine  the  ancients  did  their  golden 
water,  and  with  quite  as  marvellous  an  effect  too." 

"  But  you  look  tired  still ; "  and  Mr.  Erskine  gave 
Chipie  an  earnest  look  of  inquiry. 

"Do  I?  I'm  afraid  it's  only  stupidity,  Mr.  Erskine. 
I've  been  keeping  myself  a  prisoner  to-day." 

"  So  I  supposed  ;  and  I  am  sure  that  you  can  tell  me, 
better  than  any  one  else,  how  Miss  Kate  is  this  after- 
noon." 

"  Getting  on  famously,"  answered  Chipie.  "  Isn't  it 
delightful?  I  feel  quite  uplifted  at  my  success  as  a 
nurse.  I  actually  tempted  her  into  one  of  her  own 
merry  laughs  this  morning,  and  she  listened  to  reading 


164  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

for  three  whole  hours  without  fatigue.  But  I  forgot ! 
I'm  talking  directly  under  her  open  windows,  and  she 
has  just  fallen  asleep.  You  will  come  in,  Mr.  Erskine  ?  " 

"Thank  you  ;  but  not  if  you  will  come  out !  Won't 
you  get  your  hat  and  take  a  walk  through  the  dell  ?  I'm 
sure  it  will  refresh  you  !  " 

"  And  so  am  I.  I  shall  be  delighted  to  go,"  was  the 
frank  reply.  "I  will  keep  you  waiting  only  a  minute." 

She  appeared  almost  immediately,  and,  with  keen 
pleasure  written  on  both  their  faces,  the  two  started  off 
in  the  direction  of  the  woods. 

"  I've  been  looking  wistfully  over  towards  those  cool 
pines  this  afternoon,''  said  Chipie,  "and  I'd  half  made 
up  my  mind  for  a  ramble  amongst  them,  all  by  myself, 
just  as  you  came.  I  couldn't  find  any  one  in  the  house  to 
join  me.  I  think  Grove  must  have  been  shut  up  in  the 
library,  letter-writing ;  and  Madge  has  gone  to  drive 
with  Mr.  Godfrey  and  the  children." 

"  Yes,  I  met  them  on  my  way  over.  I  believe  that 
Mr.  Winthrop  and  Mr.  Carl  were  waiting  to  join  them. 
Mr.  Winthrop  has  a  new  dog-cart,  which  he  takes  out 
to-day  for  the  first  time.  But,  Miss  Margrave,"  he 
added,  again  noticing  the  tired  look  on  Chipie's  face, 
"  I  think  you  must  be  a  very  devoted  nurse  !  What  do 
you  find  to  interest  Miss  Kate  through  the  long  days  ? 
Little  Winny  gave  me  a  glowing  description  of  your 
admirable  success  in  that  direction  yesterday." 

"  Well,  I   read,  and  talk  a  great  deal  of  nonsense 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  165 

chiefly,"  answered  Chipie.  "And,  oh,  here  is  some- 
thing which  will  specially  brighten  Kate  !  "  she  exclaimed, 
stooping  down.  "  These  lovely  bell-flowers  !  She  was 
longing  for  some  of  them  this  morning,  and  wondering 
if  they  were  come  yet." 

"  Mr.  AVinthrop  had  a  fine  basket  of  flowers  which  he 
intended  to  leave  for  Miss  Kate  this  afternoon,"  observed 
Mr.  Erskine,  as  he  stooped  to  help  Chipie. 

"Yes,  he  sends  them,  or  brings  them,  every  day,  but 
those  are  hot-house  flowers,  and,  beautiful  as  they 
arc,  Kate  doesn't  get  much  comfort  from  them ;  she 
chafes  at  the  wire  stems,  and  says  that  they  aren't  true 
flowers." 

"I  ran  across  some  curious  white  blossoms,  a  few  days 
ago,  when  fishing  with  Donald,  and  I  wondered  then  if 
Miss  Kate  would  care  for  them  ;  if  you  think  she  would 
it  would  give  me  pleasure  to  get  them* — only,  Miss 
Margrave,  you  will  promise  to  be  charitable  if  the  ar- 
rangement lacks  grace?" 

"If  it  does't  hint  at  a  wire-stem  it  is  sure  to  receive  a 
hearty  welcome,  Mr.  Erskine,"  said  Chipie,  anticipating, 
for  some  reason,  an  artistic  treat  for  her  cousin,  in  the 
promised  bouquet.  Such  was  the  change  which  had 
been  going  on  in  Chipie's  mind  during  these  last  weeks  : 
her  feeling  of  hostility  had  very  nearly  vanished,  and 
only  upon  rare  occasions  did  the  old  spirit  of  antagonism 
move  her.  Since  Kate's  illness  a  mutual  appreciation 
of  each  other  had  grown  up,  and  in  the  many  earnest 


1 66  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

talks  which  had  taken  place  the  deeper  natures  of  both 
had  been  irresistibly  attracted. 

Chipie  was  on  the  point  of  remarking  upon  the  pretti- 
ness  of  the  path  which  her  companion  had  chosen,  when 
she  saw,  to  her  dismay,  that  it  was  one  which  led  di- 
rectly to  "  Mermaid  Pool,"  as  Grove  had  christened  the 
scene  of  her  woe.  Frequented  as  the  woods  had  been  all 
summer,  the  place  had  been  successfully  avoided,  al- 
though, upon  two  or  three  occasions,  it  had  been  necessary 
to  resort  to  stratagem.  The  whole  affair  had  worked 
upon  Chipie  until  the  thought  of  exposure  had  become 
nothing  less  than  appalling ;  the  more  she  saw  of  Mr. 
Erskine's  calm,  fastidious  nature,  the  more  confident 
she  became  that  he  would  never  excuse  such  an 
exhibition  of  childish  folly  and  temper ;  she  could 
not  brook  the  idea  of  his  pity  and  scorn,  and  so  it 
was  with  a  quick  gesture  of  impatience  that  she  ex- 
claimed :  — 

"Mr.  Erskine,  I  don't  like  this  path ;  the  narrow  one 
on  the  left  is  altogether  pleasanter,  —  it  leads  to  that 
pretty  spot  which  we  call  Winny's  Grotto." 

"Then  let  us  take  it,  by  alt  means,"  was  the  quiet 
response.  "I  rather  like  this,  myself;  but  perhaps  it  is 
because  I  most  often  find  myself  in  it,  in  my  quiet 
strolls  —  my  meditative  rambles  !  " 

Chipie's  heart  gave  a  jump.  "Then  he  is  familiar 
with  the  place,"  she  breathed.  She  glanced  up  furtively, 
but  the  calm  face  disarmed  her  of  suspicion. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  l6/ 

"  Do  you  like  it  so  much  better  than  any  of  the  others  ?" 
she  asked  carelessly. 

"  Yes,  I've  come  to  feel  a  great  regard  for  it  of  late. 
It  is  a  grand  place  to  do  one's  life-planning  in  ;  see 
what  noble  sentinels  those  pines  on  either  side  make  ! 
'Twould  be  impossible  to  form  narrow,  crippled  ideas 
in  a  spot  like  this  !  'Tis  a  boon  to  we  city-folk  !  " 

"If  only  one  could  retain  the  inspirations  which  come 
to  one  under  the  influences  of  nature  and  solitude,  Mr. 
Erskine,"  said  Chipie,  impulsively.  "  But  it  is  humili- 
ating to  find  how  entirely  they  fade  away,  when  one 
steps  back  into  the  midst  of  things  and  people  ;  at  least, 
they  do  with  me.  Solitude  flatters  terribly,  I  believe." 
.  "  How,  please  ?  "  was  the  quiet  interrogation. 

"  She  suggests  to  egotistic  little  mortals  such  won- 
drous possibilities  for  growth  and  development,"  an- 
swered Chipie.  "  One  passes  from  under  her  serene 
tutelage  with  the  most  delusive  hopes,  simply  to  find 
that  the  subtle  flattery  by  which  one  has  been  led  into 
a  blissful  state  of  self-confidence  is  but  a  means  which 
Dame  Solitude  takes  to  entertain  her  guests.  I'm  be- 
ginning to  lose  all  faith  in  her  friendship." 

Chipie  gave  a  short  laugh,  but  there  was  no  doubt 
about  the  seriousness  of  her  words. 

Mr.  Erskine  did  not  reply  immediately,  but  when  he 
did  it  was  in  a  peculiarly  winning  tone. 

"  I  would  not  do  that,  if  I  were  you  !  I  think  that 
any  one  who  truly  desires  her  friendship  will  find  her  a 


168  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

loyal  friend.  'Tis  my  faith  that  whatever  of  good  or 
greatness  Solitude  may  unfold  to  her  guests,  the  same 
may  be  accomplished  by,  and  become  a  part  of,  that 
guest,  if  so  it  is  willed !  " 

He  seemed  about  to  add  more,  but  checked  himself. 
Chipie  wished  that  he  would  not  stop.  She  was  tired, 
and  not  in  her  usual  conversational  mood,  and  she 
wanted  to  be  talked  to ;  but  Mr.  Erskine,  also,  was 
more  taciturn  than  was  his  wont.  Suddenly  he  seemed 
to  remember  that  he  was  not  doing  his  part  towards 
making  the  walk  one  of  refreshment  to  his  companion, 
and  instantly  the  serious  humor  was  gone. 

His  life-experiences  had  been  deep  and  varied,  and 
from  extensive  travel  he  had  gathered  a  rich  and  valua- 
ble harvest,  which  he  generously  shared  with  all  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  be  his  friends.  But  his  gayety 
was  ever  tinged  by  an  indescribable  something,  —  Chipie 
had  tried  in  vain  to  discover  what,  — betokening  the 
great  depths  of  his  nature,  which  held  life  to  be  far 
too  serious  to  permit  a  complete  abandonment  to  jocu- 
larity at  any  time.  Not  that  he  was  in  any  degree 
sombre ;  on  the  contrary,  he  diffused  a  glow  wherever 
he  went,  young  and  old  alike  recognizing  his  power. 

By  the  time  that  the  two  had  emerged  from  the 
woods,  upon  the  pebbly  beach  bordering  the  lake, 
Chipie's  vivacity  had  returned,  and  both  were  ready  to 
enjoy  to  the  full  the  scene  before  them. 

The  wane   of   the   afternoon   had   already   declared 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  169 

itself  by  the  sombre  light  which  struck  through  the 
trees,  making  long  paths  of  bronze,  as  it  gleamed  on 
the  pine  needles  beneath.  The  lake  in  its  iridescent 
splendor  was  only  rivalled  by  the  crimson  and  gold  of 
the  vault  above,  upon  which  the  hand  of  the  Great 
Master  was  blending  and  contrasting  the  marvel  of  tints 
and  colors,  until  the  very  tree-tops  trembled  and 
glowed  in  their  adoration  of  the  mighty  power. 

Here,  in  the  midst  of  it  all,  Mr.  Erskine  and  Chipie 
sat  down,  and  tried  to  drink  in  the  glory.  They  said 
little,  but  each  was  content  with  the  silence.  Along 
the  banks  the  golden  rays  lingered  tenderly  amongst 
the  tall  trees,  as  if  loath  to  forsake  friends  so  tried  and 
true,  and  the  feathery-topped  pines  waved  ecstatically 
as  they  received  the  warm  kiss  of  the  departing  beam. 

For  more  than  an  hour  Chipie  and  Mr.  Erskine  sat 
watching  the  glory,  and  finally,  when  it  had  paled  and 
faded,  they  arose  and  turned  their  steps  homeward. 
Neither  seemed  inclined  to  talk  as  they  walked  slowly 
along  the  narrow  beach,  and  conventionality  had  so  far 
ceased  between  them  that  they  made  no  effort  to  as- 
sume a  mood  out  of  harmony. 

As  they  reached  the  brow  of  the  hill  a  low  murmur 
wus  borne  across  the  orchard,  and  they  paused  to  catch 
the  musical  rhythm  of  the  old  cabin  songs. 

"  O  Mr.  Erskine  !  "  Chipie  exclaimed,  in  pleased  sur- 
prise, "if  you  haven't  heard  Uncle  Malcolm's  people 
sing,  do  stop  a  moment  and  listen.  It  is  so  weird ; 


I/O  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

and  this  is  the  first  time  I've  heard  them  since  Kate's 
illness." 

A  few  steps  higher  up  brought  the  dusky  group  into 
sight.  Tony,  with  his  venerable  head  thrown  back, 
stood  waving  his  baton  —  Violet's  sunshade  —  in  true 
leadership  fashion,  as  he  sent  forth  his  deep  bass  notes 
with  heart-stirring  fervor ;  while  Violet,  with  arms  folded 
across  her  majestic  figure,  soared  away  on  the  soprano, 
introducing  grace-notes  with  wild  abandon.  The  others 
were  scattered  about  in  lazy  attitudes  ;  but  all  seemed  to 
enter  with  equal  soul  into  the  chorus  of  what  appeared 
to  the  listeners  to  be  a  song  of  thanksgiving,  —  sim- 
ple enough  as  to  the  words,  but  sung  with  a  pathos 
which  rendered  it  more  than  touching:  — 


'  O  Lord,  O  good  Lord,  O  dee  Lord, 

We  tank  de  heaps,  O  Lord ! 
Our  lamb,  our  precious  lamb,  am  save 
AVe  tank  de  heaps,  O  Lord !  " 


One  after  another  the  quaint  melodies  floated  on  the 
evening  air,  and  finally,  with  one  accord,  burst  forth 
the  sons:,  so  familiar,  yet  ever  new  in  its  pathetic 
yearning :  — 

"  The  sun  shines  bright  in  the  old  Kentucky  home, 

'Tis  summer,  the  darkies  are  gay ; 
The  corn-top's  ripe  and  the  meadow's  in  the  bloom, 
While  the  birds  make  music  all  the  day." 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  .  I /I 

The  entire  piece  was  given  with  the  thrilling  cadence 
which  can  come  only  from  those  who  know  of  what 
they  sing,  —  and  more  than  one  of  the  mournful-eyed 
group  had  passed  from  under  the  scourge,  —  and  they 
sang  the  closing  verse  with  an  intensity  imdiminished 
by  time  and  freedom  :  — 


'  The  head  must  bow,  and  the  back  will  have  to  bend, 

Wherever  the  darkey  may  go  ; 
A  few  more  days,  and  the  trouble  all  will  end 

In  the  field  where  the  sugar-canes  grow. 
A  few  more  days  for  to  tote  the  weary  load,  — 

No  matter,  'twill  never  be  light,  — 
A  few  more  days  till  we  totter  on  the  road, 

Then  my  old  Kentucky  home,  —  Good  Night !  " 


The  solemnity  of  the  moment  was  disturbed  at  this 
point  by  Princess,  who,  having  attacked  the  chorus  with 
a  gusto  quite  incompatible  with  Tony's  ideas  of  propri- 
ety, was  set  upon,  and  the  baton  applied  so  lustily  about 
her  ears  that,  with  amazing  dexterity,  she  vanished, 
performing  dizzy  somersaults  as  she  sped.  Then  Chipie 
noticed,  as  she  and  her  companion  turned  away  with  an 
amused  laugh,  that  the  twilight  shadows  had  closed  about 
them. 

Upon  reaching  the  house  the  sound  of  voices  drew 
them  to  the  balcony  most  remote  from  Kate's  room, 
where  they  found  the  young  people  having  one  of  their 
twilight  chats  ;  for  it  had  become  a  matter  of  course  that 


172  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

Carl  and  the  young  men  from  Wildwood  should  walk 
over  to  Chavenage  every  evening.  Jerrold  was  sitting 
a  little  apart  from  the  rest,  looking  grim  and  stern,  as 
usual.  He  was  caressing  Major,  trying  to  win  one  of  the 
affectionate  glances  that  Kate  received  so  freely ;  but 
Major  had  never  regarded  Jerrold  with  much  favor,  and 
submitted  to  his  overtures  with  sidelong  glances.  It 
was  only  by  dint  of  coaxing  that  Major  could  be  gotten 
away  from  Kate's  door ;  for  since  the  accident  he  had 
taken  his  place  there,  and  had  grown  thin  in  his  faithful 
watch.  Mr.  Erskine  placed  a  chair  for  Chipie  where 
the  cool  breezes  would  reach  her,  and  as  she  seated  her- 
self Grove  asked  :  — 

"Chipie,  into  wrhat  undiscoverable  loophole  did  you 
so  mysteriously  disappear  this  afternoon  ?  I  hunted  for 
you  in  all  directions,  inquired  for  you  in  all  quarters, 
swept  half-a-dozen  unfinished  letters  into  niy  drawer, 
and  all  because  I  felt  that  you  needed  a  good  draught 
of  out-door  air." 

"Yes,  Miss  Chipie,"  put  in  Carl ;"  we  had  together 
one  grand  race  after  you.  We  thought  to  take  you  an 
extended  drive  through  the  sharming  park,  and  we  were 
greatly  embarrassed  not  to  find  you." 

"If  you  had  come  at  the  right  moment  you  would 
have  found  me  on  the  piazza,  pining  to  be  taken  some- 
where ;  but,  instead,  Mr.  Erskine  came.  I  had  a  beau- 
tiful walk,  and  am  thoroughly  refreshed.  Grove,  has 
Kate  waked,  do  you  know?" 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  1/3 

"Yes  ;  I've  just  come  from  her  room  ;  and  I  know  some 
one  she  would  like  to  see  for  a  moment." 

"  Then  I  will  find  out  whom,  if  my  friends  will  excuse 
me,"  said  Chipie,  with  a  smile,  as  she  got  up  to  go. 
She  was  closing  the  door  behind  her  when  Jerrold's  voice 
arrested  her. 

"Beg  pardon,  Miss  Margrave,"  he  said,  approaching 
her  ;  "but  will  you  convey  my  regards  to  your  cousin?  " 

"Certainly,  Mr.  Winthrop,"  answered  Chipie,  vexed 
at  Jerrold's  look  and  tone,  which  expressed  far  more 
than  Chipie  thought  they  had  a  right  to  express. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  annoy  your  cousin,  Miss  Margrave, 
by  my  solicitude  upon  her  behalf,"  continued  Jerrold, 
"  but "  — 

"  Oh,  I  am  sure  you  are  thoughtful,  and  my  cousin 
will  feel  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Winthrop,"  broke  in 
Chipie,  not  caring  to  wait  for  Jerrold's  sentence  to  be 
finished,  knowing  well  enough  how  it  would  end ;  for 
Jerrold  had  a  habit  of  waylaying  her  to  and  from  Kate's 
room,  with  some  prolix  message  or  inquiry,  and  she 
was  growing  tired  of  it.  She  had  tried  snubbing  upon 
several  occasions  ;  but  Jerrold  was  not  to  be  snubbed. 

Kate  looked  up  eagerly  as  Chipie  entered,  and  said, 
with  the  old  ring  of  brightness  in  her  voice  :  — 

"  I'm  so  glad  that  you've  been  walking,  dear ;  you 
needed  it  so  much,  for  you  are  just  wearing  yourself  to 
a  thread-paper,  caring  for  that  selfish  cousin  of  yours. 
Oh,  dear,  will  she  ever  get  well,  and  be  able  to  show 


174  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

her  gratitude  for  all  the  kindness  showered  upon  her  by 
everybody?  But  has  your  stroll  done  you  good,  and 
were  the  woods  lovely?" 

"Yes,  but  how  did  you  know  I  had  been  to  the 
woods?"  asked  Chipie. 

"  Princess  saw  you,"  smiled  Kate.  "  What  part  were 
you  in?"  she  continued  wistfully,  the  thought  of  her 
old  haunts  making  her  homesick  for  news  of  them. 

A  comical  look  passed  over  Chipie's  face,  and  she 
answered :  — 

"  We  took  the  bridle  path  around  by  the  gorge,  and 
came  home  by  the  beach  ;  and  the  sunset  was  wonderful, 
Kate  ! " 

She  broke  off  abruptly,  and  presently,  with  a  quick 
laugh,  more  of  nervousness  than  of  mirth,  went  to  the 
bedside,  and,  looking  down,  said :  — 

"Kate,  do  you  think  it  is  at  all  deceitful  in  me  to  hide 
that  absurd  affair  of  mine  from  our  friends  ?  " 

"Deceitful?"  interrogated  Kate, — "how  do  you 
mean  ?  " 

"I  mean,  am  I  false  in  giving  our  new  friends  the 
impression  that  I  am  half  way  sensible,  when  in  reality 
I  am  such  a  goose?  Kate,  I've  never  said  anything 
about  it,  but  you  don't  know  the  mortification  that  that 
thing  has  been  to  me  !  My  face  burns  with  shame  every 
time  I  think  of  it,  and  I  feel  like  such  a  sneak  trying  to 
avoid  that  hateful  place  when  we  are  in  the  woods." 

This  was  the   first   allusion   that   Chipie   had   made 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  175 

to  her  catastrophe,  and  Kate  understood  what  had 
prompted  it. 

"  Do  I  think  you  deceitful  ?  False  ?  Why,  no  ;  cer- 
tainly there  is  no  reason  why  you  should  proclaim  it, 
unless,  indeed,  you  feel  that  some  explanation  is  due 
to  Mr.  Erskine  !  "  Kate  kept  her  face  turned  away  as 
she  spoke.  "He  evidently  thinks  Miss  Margrave  flaw- 
less, and  your  conscientious  spirit  may  shrink  from  the 
misplaced  confidence." 

"Xow,  Kate  Sturgis,  say  farewell  to  further  pam- 
pering from  me ;  you  are  getting  Avell  quite  too  fast, 
and  are  resuming  your  bad  ways  with  an  ease  not  at  all 
to  my  fancy.  You  know  that  Mr.  Erskine  is  the  very 
person  of  all  others  to  whom  I  would  not  betray  myself. 
I  don't  care  anything  about  the  others  ;  but  he  would  be 
so  shocked"  — 

"  But  he  would  soon  recover,"  laughed  Kate. 

"  No,  he  would  never  recover,"  replied  Chipie,  de- 
cisively. "  He  would  never  think  of  me  without  pity 
and  contempt.  I  know  exactly  how  he  would  be  af- 
fected !  .  These  self-controlled  characters  never  make 
allowances  for  anything  of  that  kind,  you  know ! " 

"  Then  why  trouble  yourself  any  more  about  it  ?  Let 
the  matter  die  out  of  your  memory ;  it  isn't  worth  mak- 
ing so  much  of;  you  are  quite  too  sensitive  about  it, 
dear.  But,  speaking  of  Mr.  Erskine,  is  he  as  nice  as 


ever  s 


"  He  is  much  nicer,  Kate  ;  or,  perhaps  I  should  say, 


1/6  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

that  I  see  him  as  he  is,  now.     I  acknowledge  that  preju- 
dice blinded  me  at  first." 

She  said  no  more,  but  busied  herself  in  drawing  back 
the  curtains,  opening  the  shutters,  and  making  things 
generally  comfortable.  But  her  confession  was  enough 
for  Kate  at  present,  and  she  fell  into  a  soliloquy.  With 
pleasure  she  took  up  the  thread  of  the  pretty  romance 
Avhich  she  had  begun  weaving  weeks  before,  when,  with 
growing  interest,  she  had  watched  the  unconscious 
personages  of  her  little  plot ;  and  now  she  was  curious 
to  know  what  had  been  going  on  during  her  weeks  of 
seclusion.  She  admired  Mr.  Erskine,  while  for  Chipie 
she  felt  an  enthusiastic  love,  believing  her  capable  of 
any  amount  of  good,  and  possessed  of  noble  possibilities 
which  only  required  some  strong  motive-power  to  bring 
them  out.  Chipie  was  a  success  in  her  society  life  ;  not 
that  she  thoroughly  enjoyed  it,  for,  while  she  extracted 
much  real  pleasure  from  it,  she  believed  that  a  broader, 
truer  field  for  growth  lay  somewhere  beyond,  — where, 
she  did  not  quite  know,  —  and,  though  no  one  guessed 
it,  the  thought  kept  her  unsettled  and  dissatisfied. 
Kate's  example  had  moved  her  deeply,  and  now  the 
summer  had  brought  another  witness  to  the  desirableness 
of  a  life  with  an  object, —  a  life  beyond  fashion  and  self; 
and  how  meagre  the  old  existence  was  in  comparison 
would  only  be  realized  when  the  time  should  come  for 
returning  to  it. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

WEEK  later  Kate  left  her  room  for  the  first 
time.  Grove  led  her  triumphantly  into  the 
breakfast-room,  amidst  a  clamor  of  rejoicings, 
and  seated  her  in  her  old  place  at  the  table. 
Carl  found  the  English  language  inadequate  for  the 
occasion,  and  resorted  to  his  native  tongue  for  con- 
gratulatory expressions,  which  he  poured  out  volubly. 
After  breakfast  Kate  was  first  conducted  to  her 
studio,  which  she  had  been  longing  to  get  into,  and, 
stepping  up  to  the  easel,  was  about  to  raise  the  cloth 
which  draped  it,  when  her  palette  met  her  eye.  She 
caught  it  up  and  stroked  it  softly  with  her  hand ;  the 
bit  of  polished  Avood  was  very  dear  to  her. 

"Has  any  one  been  here  since  my  illness,  mamma?" 
she  asked,  as  she  lifted  the  cloth  •from  the  canvas. 

"  Xot  until  this  morning,  dear,  when  I  opened  it  to 
let  in  the  air,"  answered  Mrs.  Sturgis,  participating  in 
the  amusement  with  which  the  others  were  watching 
Kate's  movements. 

"  We've  not  even  stolen  a  glance  at  the  portrait,  my 
sisterine  !  "  said  Grove,  and  he  gave  an  exclamation  of 


1/8  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

surprise  as  the  covering  was  wholly  withdrawn.  Well 
might  Kate  have  felt  proud  of  her  success,  and  Chipie 
certainly  had  no  reason  for  displeasure  as  she  looked 
upon  the  picture  before  her.  The  reds,  yellows,  and 
greens,  which  had  dismayed  her  in  the  first  paintings, 
now  showed  their  value  in  the  depth  and  transparency 
which  they  had  given. 

f'  What  a  dear  little  thing  you  were,  Kate,  to  make 
me  look  like  that !  "  whispered  Chipie.  "  Privately  you 
have  idealized  your  cream-colored  cousin  wonderfully  ; 
but  we  won't  hint  it  to  anybody,  for  the  world.  I'm 
glad  you  did  !  " 

Kate  laughed,  and  shook  her  head  energetically,  and 
then  listened  to  what  the  others  were  saying  of  it. 
Kate  had  put  her  best  work  into  the  picture,  and  in  the 
last  painting  she  declared  that  she  had  worked  by  inspi- 
ration ;  and,  indeed,  the  portrait  acknowledged  as  much. 

The  clear,  olive  tints  of  the  complexion  were  exquisite, 
while  the  best  and  truest  in  Chipie's  face  had  been  suc- 
cessfully caught  and  depicted.  The  piquant  face, 
charming  in  itself,  had  the  merit  of  being  a  beautiful 
likeness  of  Chipie,  in  her  finest  mood. 

Mr.  Erskine  did  not  see  it  till  some  clays  later,  and 
then  Kate  was  disappointed  that  he  seemed  so  little 
impressed ;  she  had  particularly  hoped  that  he  would 
like  it  very  much.  But,  after  studying  it  for  some 
time,  his  only  expression  of  commendation  was,  "  Miss 
Kate,  it  is  a  good  portrait." 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  179 

The  next  day,  however,  she  was  more  than  satisfied, 
when  he  begged  her  permission  to  visit  the  studio 
alone  ;  and  when  he  came  to  thank  her  his  face  wore 
a  look  which  she  had  never  seen  there  before,  as,  tak- 
ing her  hand,  he  said  earnestly  :  — 

"Miss  Kate,  I  sincerely  congratulate  you  upon  your 
success.  The  picture  is  beautiful  and  truthfully 
painted ! " 

Mr.  Erskine's  "three  weeks"  had  lengthened  into  as 
many  months,  and  still  he  gave  no  sign  of  saying  fare- 
well. Chipie  wondered  what  excuse  he  had  sent  to  his 
sister  for  disappointing  her  in  the  promised  visit,  of 
Avhich  he  had  told  her  weeks  before. 

Sunday  morning, — the  first  Sunday  after  Kate's  re- 
covery,—  as  they  were  all  arranging  themselves  in  the 
carriages  for  their  drive  to  church,  Jerrold  and  Walter 
Godfrey  drove  up  and  stopped  for  a  moment  to  exchange 
greetings. 

"  Mr.  Erskine  declined  accompanying  us  this  morn- 
ing,"said  Walter;  "he  preferred  a  solitary  ride  on  that 
horse  of  his.  However,  I  think  you  will  see  him  at 
church.  By-the-by,"  he  added,  "do  you  know  how 
near  we  came  to  losing  him  yesterday?" 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Grove,  quickby. 

"  Why,  he  received  a  letter,  calling  him  home  im- 
mediately, upon  some  business  matter ;  and,  after  leav- 
ing good-by  messages  for  every  one,  he  had  gotten  as 
far  on  his  way  as  the  Wilmingham  depot,  when  a  tele- 


I  SO  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

gram   met   him,  saying  that  his  return  was  unneces- 
sary." 

Although  Chipie's  eyes  were  upon  her  uncle,  as  he 
stooped  to  pick  her  the  mignonette  which  she  had 
asked,  she  heard  every  word  that  had  been  said,  and 
for  some  reason  everything  seemed  to  her  singularly 
fresh  and  bright  as  the  horses  started  off.  But,  then, 
the  drive  to  church  would  have  accounted  for  that,  —  it 
was  certainly  lovely  enough,  as  it  wound,  for  two  or 
three  miles,  through  the  wild  old  park,  keeping  close 
to  the  banks  of  the  river, — a  revelation  of  Nature's 
full  heart,  showing  here  an  entrancing  glimpse,  and 
there  an  unobstructed  view  of  the  serpentine  stream. 
An  aesthetic  eye,  indeed,  had  planned  this  continuous 
feast  of  loveliness,  seeking  out  the  points  where  a  thin- 
ning of  trees  would  disclose  the  most  picturesque  effects 
of  the  landscape  beyond.  Even  the  red  roofs  of  the 
mills,  boldly  outlined  afar  down  the  river,  overhung  by 
drooping  elms,  lent  a  pleasing  feature,  and  the  grand 
forest  trees  on  all  sides  formed  a  tempting  tryst  ing  for 
the  silver-throated  thrushes.  Here  and  there  a  maple 
on  the  river-brink,  grown  vain  by  reason  of  the  charm- 
ing reflection  which  all  summer  it  had  gazed  upon, 
was  beginning  to  show  its  conscious  pleasure  by  the 
glowing  blushes  which  crimsoned  its  brunches ;  but, 
pretty  as  was  the  dash  of  color  against  the  varied 
greens,  it  carried  a  moment's  heart-throb  to  at  least 
one  of  the  party.  To  Chipie  it  was  a  messenger  tell- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  iSl 

ing  that  the  summer  was  far  spent,  and  would  soon. 
abdicate  in  favor  of  the  fleeting  autumn,  when  the  free- 
dom of  Liberty  Hall  would  be  ended.  It  was  not  a 
pleasant  reminder,  and  when  the  old  stone  church  was 
finally  reached  Mrs.  Sturgis  noticed  the  thoughtful 
brow,  and  wondered  as  to  the  cause.  Perhaps  Chipie 
saw  the  question  in  her  aunt's  eyes,  for  she  said,  in  a 
low  tone,  as  she  alighted  :  — 

"Auntie,  you  need  not  be  afraid  to  have  me  sit  next 
to  Grove  this  morning  !  I  am  just  as  good  and  relig- 
ious as  I  can  be,  and  really  dote  upon  hearing  your 
good  rector's  melancholy  discourse." 

"Then  I  may  feel  quite  safe,  in  my  corner?" 

"Yes,  Aunt  Paulien,  quite." 

And  so  Chipie  believed,  as  she  seated  herself,  little 
guessing  the  snare  close  at  hand,  ready  to  entrap  her 
boasted  sobriety  !  Not  that  she  was  irreverent,  —  far 
from  it,  —  but  it  must  be  owned  that  she  could  not  look 
at  Widow  Jason,  in  her  great  poke  bonnet,  making 
spasmodic  efforts  to  dislodge  from  its  depths  a  pair  of 
the  gleesome  wasps,  which  not  infrequently  buzzed  in 
through  the  open  windows,  and  feel  that  it  was  a  part 
of  the  sacred  service  ;  nor  was  she  always  able  to  look 
unruffled  when  the  usher's  precocious  infant,  sitting 
astride  the  pew-back,  would  electrify  dozing  Miss 
Dawson  by  suddenly  dropping  a  prayer-book  upon  her 
head.  These  little  contretemps  were  not  uncommon, 
although  the  general  air  pervading  the  congregation 


1 82  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

was  extremely  decorous.  Upon  the  previous  Sabbath, 
at  vesper,  Chipie  had  seen  a  horn-bug  fasten  itself  upon 
the  end  of  Dr.  Bancroft's  nose  ;  in  relating  the  incident, 
the  following  morning,  she  had  spoken  of  the  unhappy 
victim  as  "that  long-nosed  Dr.  Bancroft."  Grove  and 
Kate  attempted  to  refute  her  right  to  the  epithet ;  but 
Chipie  was  inconvincible,  and  to-day,  while  she  listened 
to  the  sermon,  she  looked  at  the  doctor's  nose.  Grove, 
observing  the  direction  of  her  eyes,  wickedly  leaned 
over  and  whispered  :  — 

"Well,  how  is  it?" 

Presently  a  slip  of  paper  was  placed  in  the  hymn- 
book,  and,  delicately  traced  in  pencil,  Grove  saw  :  — 

"  I  understand  now ;  the  nose  is  short,  but  it  is  put 
on  long  !  " 

And  here  it  was  that  Chipie's  temptation,  or,  as  she 
told  herself,  her  retribution,  came. 

The  audience  had  hardly  seated  itself,  after  the 
opening  hymn,  when  a  belated  young  woman  entered 
the  pew  in  front  of  Chipie,  and  —  oh,  grief  of  griefs  !  — 
caught  a  pendant,  attached  to  one  of  her  many  bangles, 
in  the  tenderly  cared-for  wig  of  an  old  gentleman  seated 
in  front,  causing  that  unfortunate  accessory  to  fly  off, 
disclosing  a  shiny  pink  head,  such  as  Chipie  had  not 
known  existed.  With  protruding  eyes  the  little  man 
threw  up  his  hands  and  gazed  about  in  l>ewilderment, 
Avhile  the  alarmed  girl  endeavored  to  disentangle  the 
hair ;  but  fright  lent  no  cunning  to  the  trembling  fingers, 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  183 

and,  with  a  despairing  look  towards  the  stern-visaged 
woman  next  her,  she  held  out  her  arm  imploringly.  It 
was  violently  seized,  the  hair  snapped  remorselessly 
away,  and,  rising,  the  irate  female  pulled  the  wig  over 
the  owner's'  bare  head,  caring  little  that  she  got  it 
askew,  and  adding  agony  to  misery  by  trailing  her  cruel 
cuff-pin  across  the  fated  man's  cheek.  With  both  hands 
and  one  foot  simultaneously  raised,  a  word  was  uttered 
which  may  not  be  repeated,  in  that  the  offender  was  a 
pious  man,  and  had  not  before  so  fallen  from  grace. 

It  all  happened  like  a  flash,  but  Chipie's  appreciation 
of  the  scene  was  evident.  It  was  some  time  before  she 
succeeded  in  calming  herself  sufficiently  to  lift  her  eyes, 
and  then  she  met  those  of  Mr.  Erskine  full  upon  her. 
The  latter  occupied  a  transept  pew,  and  Chipie  saw  that 
a  pillar  had  prevented  him  from  seeing  the  cause  of  her 
amusement,  while  the  amusement  itself  had  been  only, 
too  visible.  She  was  annoyed,  and  felt  a  flush  coming 
into  her  cheeks. 

"  It  is  too  bad ! "  she  said  to  herself,  resentfully. 
"What  will  lie  think  of  me — and  after  what  we  were 
saying  yesterday  !  He  will  think  me  irreverent  and  — 
well,  no  matter,  it  will  only  be  another  phase  of  my 
character.  It  is  immaterial,  of  course,  what  he  thinks  !  " 

She  tried  to  concentrate  her  thoughts  upon  the  ser- 
mon, but  they  would  wander  in  spite  of  herself. 
"  What  would  Mr.  Erskine  think  of  her  frivolous  con- 
duct V  " 


1 84  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

When  church  was  over,  Mr.  Erskine  came  to  the 
carriage  to  exchange  greetings,  and  Chipie  fancied  that 
he  looked  at  her  reprovingly  ;  certainly  he  did  have  less 
than  usual  to  say  to  her,  and  addressed  his  remarks 
chiefly  to  Mrs.  Sturgis  and  Kate. 

On  the  way  home  Kate  stopped  at  old  Mrs.  Ben- 
son's, to  tell  her  of  the  sermon ;  for  rheumatism  had 
prevented  the  old  couple  from  church-going  for  many 
years,  and  these  weekly  visits  from  Kate,  so  full  of 
cheer  and  freshness,  were  the  brightest  spots  in  their 
lives. 

"  I  do  declare,"  cried  Mrs.  Benson,  opening  the  door 
as  Kate  advanced,  "  ef  it  aint  a  sight  jest  ter  see  you  a- 
walkin'  into  this  old  place  ag'in  !  I  wouldn't  a-thought 
me  and  Ebenezar  would  a-missed  anything  as  we  hev 
the  sight  o'  your  sunny  face  all  this  time.  Ebenezar, 
he  says,  'Sunday  aint  Sunday  'thout  a  sight  o'  Miss 
Katriny  ; '  an'  I  guess  he's  about  right." 

Kate  stepped  into  the  best  room,  with  its  sanded 
floor,  and  sat  down  in  the  little  dimity  rocker  by  the 
open  window,  through  which  came  the  dro\vsy  hum  of 
the  bees  revelling  in  the  tangled  bed  of  dear  old- 
fashioned  flowers  beneath  the  window.  With  pleased 
faces  the  two  old  people  seated  themselves  opposite, 
while  Kate  ran  on  from  one  subject  to  another  most 
interesting  to  her  listeners  ;  afterwards  giving  ear  to 
the  pathetic  stories  of  chickens  devoured  by  the  pig, 
fever-stricken  bird,  and  rheumatism  in  all  its  phases 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  185 

She  was  an  indulgent  listener,  and  nothing  delighted 
her  proteges  more  than  an  exhibition  of  interest  in  their 
reminiscences  of  Saxony  and  the  neighboring  towns, 
and  Mr.  Benson  never  failed  to  make  the  most  of  his 
opportunities. 

"  'Pears  to  me,"  he  said,  as  Kate  made  a  motion  to 
go,  "you're  hevin  lively  times  up  to  the  house,  once 
more  !  Seems  to  me  that  'ere  boarder  down  to  old 
Mis'  Leman's  is  a  stay  in'  on  pretty  well,  too  !  They 
say,  down  to  the  village,  that  he's  a  big  man  down 
South,  where  he  was  bringed  up;  —  writ  a  consider'ble 
many  books,  so  they  say,  —  I  don't  know  nuthin'  about 
it  myself,  but  that's  the  story." 

"  I  was  tellin'  Ebenezar,"  put  in  Mrs.  Benson,  feel- 
ing that  her  husband's  curiosity  was  getting  the  better 
of  him,  "  that  the  sight  o'  so  many  young  people  a-goin' 
by  carries  me  right  back  sixty  years  ago,  when  I  was 
a  gal.  Things  hev  changed  wonde'rful  since  then ! 
Why,  I  kin  remember  when  there  was  a  dozen  or  more 
young  people  livin'  right  round  here  'thin  a  mile  o'  each 
other,  and  now  Thomas  Elkins  an'  me  an'  Ebenezar  be 
the  only  ones  a-livin'.  Sech  times  as  we  used  to  hev, 
too  !  Why,  Miss  Katriny,  we  didn't  think  nuthin'  o' 
walkin'  to  Dixbury  to  singin'  school,  every  Saturday 
night ;  an'  reg'lar  Thanksgivin'  night  we'd  all  go  over  in 
a  pung  to  the  ball  at  Wayside  Inn,  and  not  git  home 
till  three  o'clock  in  the  mornin'.  They  was  beautiful 
balls,  so  pretty  an'  s'lect !  Nobody  needn't  hev  been 


1 86  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

ashamed  of  'em.  I  s'pose  you've  taken  your  compiny 
over  to  the  old  place  afore  now !  City  folks  mostly 
likes  to  see  them  sort  of  places,  though  fur  my  part 
I'd  ruther  see  a  nice,  pretty  cottage,  painted  and  blinded. 
Ther's  been  some  potry  writ  about  that  old  tavern,  by 
a  perfesser  down  near  Boston,  — so  they  say." 

"So  they  say!"  repeated  Mr.  Benson,  indignantly. 
"Ther's  no  'so  they  say'  about  it.  I  see  the  book  with 
it  in,  with  my  own  eyes,  up  to  'Squire  Burton's,  four  or 
five  years  ago,  and  the  'Squire  told  me  'twas  all  about 
that  very  Inn.  But  all  I  say  is,  that  'twould  a-showcd 
more  potry  ef  the  perfesser  —  or  whatever  he  was — had 
took  'Squire  Burton's  house  there,  with  its  cupolo  and 
gold  turkey-cock,  and  made  up  something  about  that." 

"Well,  we  hadn't  oughter  grumble,  Mr.  Benson; 
it's  all  fur  the  best,  I  make  no  doubt,  and  we've  hed 
some  fine  times  in  the  old  hall ! " 

"Yes,  they  was  good  old  days,"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Benson,  with  a  retrospective  smile;  "good  old  days! 
I  was  courtin'  Mis'  Benson  here,  then.  I  rec'lect  my 
mother  was  blind,  and  'long  about  that  time  I  used  to 
wear  a  posy  a  good  deal  o'  the  time  when  I  Avent  up 
evenin's  to  see  Mis'  Benson  here,  and  oncet  in  a  while 
I'd  kinder  forget  to  take  the  posy  out  afore  I  got 
home  ;  and  the  old  lady  she  didn't  know  nuthin'  about 
my  courtin'  Mis'  Benson,  and  she'd  say,  if  she  got  a 
smell  of  the  posy,  'Look  a-hcre,  son  Ebenezar,  be 
you  a-courtin'  anybody  'thout  lettin  me  know  on't?' 
An'  I  jest  took  fun  in  plaguin'  her  that  way." 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  l8/ 

The  old  man's  eyes  glistened  as  the  present  faded 
away,  and  he  found  himself  back  in  his  youth,  with  its 
little  romance.  Kate  respected  the  silence,  and  in  a 
minute  he  continued,  his  look  dreamy  and  far  away  : 
"Yes,  a  good  woman  was  my  old  mother  —  a  good 
woman!  And,  oh,  how  I  did  love  (Kate  waited  with 
sympathetic  face)  — to  see  that  woman  —  eat  cucumbers  !  " 

"  Ebenezar,  you're  a-makin'  Mis'  Katriny  laugh  ;  I 
see  it  in  her  eyes  !  You  see,"  she  exclaimed,  turning 
to  Kate,  "he  used  to  give  her  cucumbers,  to  the  table, 
an'  afore  she'd  hev  'em  all  eat  up,  he'd  jest  put  some 
more  into  her  dish  'thout  say  in'  a  word,  and  she'd 
keep  on  a-eatin'  and  a-eatin',  and  at  last  she'd  say,  all 
so  innocent,  — poor,  blind  soul !  — '  Son  Ebenezar,  I  never 
see  anything  last  as  this  dish  of  cucumbers  does ;  and 
it  seems  a  shaller  little  dish  too  ! '  That  used  to  please 
Mr.  Benson  the  best  kind." 

With  a  merry  laugh  Kate  made  a  second  move- 
ment to  go,  and  after  a  few  last  words  started  for 
home.  Mrs.  Benson's  allusions  to  the  Wayside  Inn 
had  reminded  her  that  the  famous  old  place  had  been 
overlooked  in  their  jaunting-plans,  and,  as  some  of 
their  number  had  never  seen  the  place,  she  proposed, 
the  next  morning,  that  they  should  make  up  a  horse- 
back party  to  visit  it.  The  September  air  had  already 
enough  of  the  glow  and  sparkle  to  make  such  an  ex- 
cursion delightful,  and  therefore  it  was  with  much 
animation  that  the  proposal  was  received,  and  the 
next  Thursday  decided  upon  for  its  realization. 


CHAPTER   XVn. 

ROVIDEXCE  is  not  always  to  be  depended 
upon  in  the  matter  of  weather,  when  picnic- 
ing  is  in  vogue.  But  upon  the  day  of  the 
"equitation,"  as  Jerrold  was  pleased  to  term  the  riding 
jaunt,  she  came  forward  with  unstinted  munificence, 
flinging  her  favors  about  lavishly.  The  night  preced- 
ing a  light  rain  had  fallen,  laying  the  dust,  and 
bringing  out  the  fragrance  from  earth  and  shrub, 
making  the  morning  an  idyl. 

The  Inn  was  a  good  two  hours'  ride  from  Saxony, 
and  an  early  start  had  been  decided  upon,  in  order  to 
avoid  the  mid-day  heat.  Miss  Darcy,  an  old  school- 
friend  of  Kate,  who  was  on  a  short  visit  to  an  aunt  in 
Saxony,  had  been  invited  to  join  the  party,  and  Chipie 
had  given  up  for  her  use  the  horse  which  she  had 
been  riding  all  summer,  taking,  instead,  a  Kentucky 
thorough-bred  of  General  Winthrop,  which  he  had 
placed  at  her  service.  The  animal,  though  well 
trained  to  the  saddle,  was  nervous  and  high-spirited; 
and  Chipie,  fearless  and  much  elated  at  being  thought 
capable  of  managing  him,  would  not  exchange  with 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  189 

any  one,  although  Mr.  Erskine  and  Grove  both  ex- 
pressed uneasiness. 

Jerrold  seemed  unusually  excited  this  morning, 
and  pranced  about  watchfully,  keeping  as  near  Kate 
as  he  could,  fearful  lest  he  should  be  allotted  a  part- 
ner other  than  herself.  But  he  had  no  cause  for  anx- 
iety, for,  Kate's  position  as  hostess  obliging  her  to 
consider  herself  last,  she  had  no  thought  of  inflicting 
Jerrold  upon  any  one  less  tolerant  of  his  eccentricities 
than  herself;  and  so,  when  it  was  unanimously  voted 
that  Kate  should  take  the  lead  with  Jerrold,  the  latter 
was  triumphant. 

Whatever  else  Jerrold  lacked,  he  was  indisputably 
a  tine  rider,  and  sat  his  horse  as  if  moulded  with  it 
from  bronze ;  indeed,  he  suggested  the  comparison 
strongly,  as,  seated  on  the  high-stepping  chestnut,  he 
bent  his  haughty,  dark  face  towards  Kate,  to  inquire 
which  side  she  preferred  him  to  take.  They  were 
well-matched  riders ;  for  in  Kate's  veins  tingled  the 
blood  of  grandmothers  skilled  in  the  chase,  from 
which,  time  and  again,  they  had  borne  the  cherished 
brush.  She  had  on  a  dark  English  habit,  and  as  Jer- 
rold watched  the  face,  so  full  of  enjoyment,  he  thougJd 
what  Chipie  was  saying  to  Mr.  Erskine  as  they  rode 
through  the  gate-way,  "Isn't  Kate  superb  this  morn- 
ing?" 

Grove  and  Miss  Darcy  brought  up  the  rear,  while  Carl 
ambled  about  at  his  own  sweet  will.  Grove  had  pro- 


igO  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

posed  finding  him  a  partner,  but  he  had  frantically  de- 
clined :  — 

"Eh,  please,  no!  I  would  have  no  spirit,  without 
the  sharity  and  good  heart  of  Liberty  Hall,  to  survey 
my  embarrassment.  I  could  not  wish  to  have  derision 
cast  at  me  by  unsympathetic  souls  when  I  should  cease 
to  race  together  with  you,  while  I  would  regain  com- 
posure !  " 

The  road  to  the  tavern  was  pretty  and  woody  enough, 
but  the  historic  associations  which  clung  about  it  made 
it  charming  to  romantic  young  souls,  who  discovered 
many  an  attraction  not  observable  to  the  more  prosaic 
wayfarer. 

"Only  think,"  Madge  exclaimed  to  Walter  Godfrey, 
"this  is  the  very  road  over  which  Paul  Revere  took  his 
midnight  ride  !  And  see  that  tumbled-down  house 
nestled  amongst  the  woodbine  !  Of  course  he  stopped 
there,  to  tell  his  news  !  Can't  you  see  the  poor,  fright- 
ened inmates,  Mr.  Godfrey,  crowding  about  that  bit  of  a 
window,  and  drinking  in  every  word  that  fell  from  his 
lips?" 

Walter  answered,  with  equal  enthusiasm,  that  he 
could,  and  then  rode  up  to  find  the  door,  which  was  not 
visible  from  the  road. 

"  Please  bring  me  a  spray  of  that  woodbine,  Mr.  God- 
frey," Madge  called  ;  "  and  get  one  for  yourself ! " 

"If  I  were  you,  Madge,"  laughed  Grove,  as  he  came 
up  in  time  to  catch  her  request,  "I  wouldn't  waste  too 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  19! 

much  feeling  on  that  shanty  :  it  is  only  an  old  pigsty 
belonging  to  a  house  which  was  burned  a  dozen  years 
ago,  just  beyond.  I  dare  say  it  was  a  very  good  pigsty  ; 
but  you  will  lind  something  more  Avorthy  of  sentiment 
further  on." 

Madge  looked  piqued  at  the  laugh  which  was  raised, 
but,  elevating  her  nose,  she  answered,  nonchalantly  :  — 

"  Indeed  !  Well,  I  am  sure  I  am  glad  that  poor  Paul 
was  not  obliged  to  make  so  insignificant  a  stop." 

But,  notwithstanding  this  damper  to  her  ardor,  she 
continued  to  regard  the  passing  objects  with  benignant 
expressions  of  interest ;  and,  when  they  finally  entered 
the  quaint  old  town  of  S — ,  she  not  only  grew  excited 
over  the  dwellings  of  authentic  antiquity,  but,  so 
deeply  was  she  infused  with  the  spell  of  the  hour,  she 
allowed  a  few  devoted  glances  to  rest  upon  some  fear- 
fully new  and  economical  abodes  which  had  sprung  up, 
lustrous  in  green  and  white  paint,  and  which  stood  look- 
ing out  of  place  and  uncomfortable  in  the  midst  of  the 
time-honored  homesteads. 

Past  the  meadows,  gleaming  with  Sagittarius  and  blue 
lilies,  the  riders  flew ;  then  through  a  stretch  of  piny 
woods ;  and,  finally,  a  gambrel  roof  appeared,  and  the 
horses  were  drawn  up  beneath  the  great  elm  nearly 
opposite  the  faded  mansion. 

Carl,  after  a  sweeping  glance,  settled  himself  in  his 
saddle,  and  sat,  the  picture  of  dismay,  scanning  the 
bare,  weather-beaten  front. 


192  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"Carl,  what's  the  trouble?  Has  your  fancy  received 
a  shock?"  asked  Grove,  laughing. 

"Eh  !  Yes,  yes  !  "  assented  Carl.  "  The  thing  is  a 
barn,  a  most  meeserdble  affair,  with  no  sharming  allure- 
ments to  enter !  Where  are  the  signs  of  womantic 
hospitalitee,  which  poetry  pictured?  Eh,  my  soul  has 
received  a  false  impression  !  " 

"  Mr.  von  Weckbecker,  I  am  afraid  that  you  are 
slandering,"  said  Mr.  Erskine,  joining  in  the  laugh  at 
Carl's  air  of  scorn.  "Isn't  that  an  hospitable  array  of 
windows?  I  imagine  that  they  have  done  their  share, 
on  the  blustering  winter  nights,  in  sending  out  good 
cheer !  But  I  see  that  the  sign  of  the  Red  Horse  has 
disappeared  !  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  shame  that  that  should  have  been  taken 
away,"  exclaimed  Madge;  "it  would  have  given  ex- 
pression to  the  whole  thing  !  " 

"  I  am  surprised  to  find  it  so  large,"  observed  Walter 
Godfrey. 

"It  was  not  as  large  originally,"  replied  Grove, 
"  The  wing  on  the  left  was  a  later  addition.  Miss  Darcy, 
I  hope  that  you  aren't  going  to  be  contemptuous  too," 
he  continued,  as  he  helped  that  young  lady  to  dismount. 

"  Oh,  no,  I  am  getting  hardened  to  disappointments 
of  this  kind,"  laughed  Miss  Darcy,  as  she  gave  Grove 
her  hand  and  sprang  to  the  ground.  "  Besides,"  she 
added,  "I  never  supposed  that  there  was  anything  par- 
ticularly romantic  about  the  place." 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  193 

"Now,  Edith,  don't  be  practical,"  exclaimed  Kate  ;  "it 
is  highly  improper  to  be  practical  on  occasions  like  this  ! " 

"Then  I  won't  give  utterance  to  the  remark  I  was 
about  to  make,  Miss  Kate,"  said  Mr.  Erskine,  as,  hav- 
ing dismounted  Chipie,  he  led  the  two  horses  into  an 
open  field  near  by.  By  the  time  that  the  others  had 
followed  his  example  the  girls  had  converted  their  rid- 
ing-skirts into  walking-skirts,  and  the  inspection  of  the 
interior  began. 

The  battered  front  door,  with  its  green  paint  worn  to 
a  neutral,  opened  into  a  large  hall,  with  a  swinging  gate 
on  one  side,  and  an  outside  door  at  the  end.  The  first 
room  on  the  right,  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  made  even 
Carl's  face  light  up  with  interest,  for,  while  standing  in 
the  rough-hewn  bar-room,  it  was  easy  to  forget  that  the 
old  colonial  days  had  fled ;  the  bar,  in  one  corner,  ex- 
tending almost  to  the  rafters,  seemed  still  reeking  with 
the  odor  of  the  hot  punches,  etc.,  which  had  penetrated 
its  timber,  and  suggested  but  too  plainly  the  carousals 
which  it  had  instigated.  The  immense  fireplace  told  of 
the  generous  cheer  which  it  had  been  wont  to  shed  upon 
its  worshippers,  though  now  it  looked  sad  and  gloomy, 
as  if  the  memory  of  the  past  weighed  heavily  upon  it. 

"  Notice  this  rugged  old  cross-beam,"  said  Grove, 
hitting  the  low  beam  with  his  riding-cane  ;  "  it  looks 
like  a  satiated  old  sinner,  doesn't  it?  I'll  warrant  that 
it  has  vibrated  with  many  a  wild  tale  of  murder  and 
ghost !  Jove  !  I  feel  the  vibration  in  my  cane." 


194  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"Oh,  come;  don't  stay  in  this  room  any  longer," 
exclaimed  Madge  ;  "  it  is  a  dreadful  place,  — everything 
is  so  mysterious  and  uncanny  !  " 

"This  will  be  more  to  Madge's  taste,"  said  Kate,  as 
she  led  the  way  across  the  hall  into  a  large  room  with 
high  wainscoting  and  low  ceiling  with  a  gray  cross- 
beam. 

"Ah,  I  recognize  this  apartment,  I  think,"  observed 
Mr.  Erskine,  looking  about  curiously.  "  Wasn't  it  here 
that  we  were  entertained  by  the  Sicilian,  the  Musician 
and  the  Poet  ?  That  fireplace  certainly  looks  familiar  ! " 

"Yes,  this  is  the  very  room,"  answered  Kate.  "I'm 
glad  you  have  so  good  a  memory,  Mr.  Erskine  :  and 
now,  if  you  look  on  the  window-panes,  you  will  find 
Major  Molineau's  couplet,  which  is  extremely  edifying." 

It  took  some  time  to  examine  the  lower  rooms,  nu- 
merous and  oddly  irregular  as  they  were  ;  many  of  the 
open  fireplaces  had  been  closed  up,  and  in  some  of  the 
rooms  they  had  been  superseded  by  the  most  modern  of 
stoves,  —  an  innovation  rendered  doubly  painful  by  the 
high  state  of  polish  which  they  presented.  However, 
they  were  treated  with  the  scorn  due  them,  and  presently 
the  modest  bedroom  of  Lafayette  was  reached. 

"I  wonder  if  this  floor  deluded  the  old  fellow  into 
the  belief  that  his  feet  were  sinking  into  velvet,"  said 
Walter,  as  he  pointed  out  the  figures  painted  upon  an 
orange  ground. 

"  The  probability  is,  that  by  the  time  he  got  up  here  he 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  195 

was  in  a  condition  to  believe  any  attempt  at  deception 
offered,"  remarked  Grove,  with  a  twinkle. 

"  You  shall  not  hint  such  a  dreadful  thing  about  that 
great,  generous  man,"  cried  TVinny,  reproachfully,  un- 
willing that  her  hero  should  suffer  calumny. 

"  But  he  was  only  mortal,  after  all,  you  know,"  said 
Grove,  smiling  at  the  excited  little  face.  "And  the 
landlord,  who  was  caged  in  behind  that  bar,  was  really 
a  sort  of  a  siren,  although  disguised  in  the  uncouth 
habiliments  of  a  very  mortal  man  ;  so  you  see  your  hero 
couldn't  help  himself!  " 

"  Grove  Sturgis,  I  think  that  it  is  real  wicked  for  you 
to  say  such  things  about  that  splendid  Lafayette  !  He 
never  even  looked  into  that  horrid  room,  I  know  !  Now 
say  that  you  were  just  funning,  and  that  you  don't 
believe  a  word  of  what  you  hinted  !  If  you  don't  I 
won't  speak  to  you  again  to-day." 

"Oh,  if  you  are  going  to  avenge  yourself  in  that 
cruel  fashion,  little  champion,  of  course  I  must  retract, 
and  tell  you  candidly  that  I  imagine  Lafayette  never 
even  knew  that  the  despised  room  existed." 

"  What !  do  you  mean  that  he  was  never  here  at  all  ?  " 
cried  "Winny,  rushing  upon  her  cousin  with  her  small 
whip. 

"  No,  no ;  not  that,"  exclaimed  Grove,  in  mock 
fright ;  "  I  mean  that  he  probably  passed  by  the  wicked 
door,  so  engrossed  in  his  mighty  thoughts  that  the 
sound  of  the  carousals  within  merely  swept  his  ear  as 


196  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

the  distant  echo  of  the  bugle.  And  now,  little  one,  we 
will  step  into  the  old  hall  and  have  a  pirouette  ;  you 
can  imagine  me  Lafayette,  you  know  !  " 

Grove  made  a  courtly  bow,  and  then  the  two  whirled 
away,  being  presently  joined  by  the  others.  After  this 
the  investigations  went  on,  and  not  even  the  great  attic, 
with  its  mammoth  chimneys,  was  overlooked  ;  it  was 
there,  in  a  corner,  partitioned  off,  that  the  unruly 
visitants  of  the  bar-room  were  harbored.  Rickety 
doors,  sunken  floors,  and  break-neck  stairways  abounded 
in  the  main  part  of  the  house,  and  did  much  in  doing 
away  with  the  unpleasant  effect  produced  by  the  clean 
stoves.  Finally,  the  last  of  the  seven  outside  doors  was 
opened  and  shut,  and  the  explorers  found  themselves 
once  more  beneath  the  spreading  elms,  with  the  sunshine 
dispelling  the  musty  effluvium  of  the  past,  which  seemed 
to  have  clung  about  them.  Tony  had  arrived  with  the 
lunch,  which,  after  the  long  ride,  was  hailed  with  satisfac- 
tion ;  and  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  w^as  spent  in  rambling 
about  in  the  pretty  woods  close  by. 

Since  dismounting,  the  time  had  not  passed  agreeably 
to  Jerrold.  He  had  found  it  impossible  to  secure  Kate's 
company  to  himself,  and  he  had  been  literally  gnashing 
his  teeth  at  the  ill  fate  which  had  brought  Miss  Darcy 
amongst  them ;  for  Kate  had  devoted  herself  to  her 
friend  with  a  pertinacity  so  irritating  to  Jerrold  that 
his  responses  to  Miss  Darcy's  remarks  were  barely 
civil. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  197 

"  What  a  bearish  young  fellow  that  Mr.  "VVinthrop  is, 
Kate  !  How  can  you  tolerate  him  !  "  Miss  Darcy  had 
said,  Avith  no  little  annoyance,  Avhen  Jerrold  for  the 
fourth  time  had  moved  away  in  despair  from  their  vi- 
cinity. "  I  wonder,"  she  added,  "  that  so  fine  a  looking 
man  can  be  so  disagreeable.  What  are  his  redeemable 
qualities  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  has  a  number,"  replied  Kate,  thoughtfully. 
"In  the  first  place,  he  is  quite  as  valuable  as  Webster's 
Unabridf/ed,  and,  if  he  pleases,  he  can  make  himself 
particularly  entertaining  in  many  ways  ;  it  isn't  that* he 
has  so  many  more  faults  than  other  people,  only  those 
that  he  docs  possess  are  so  very  evident,  and  so  very 
annoying." 

Chipie  and  Mr.  Erskine  were  to  take  the  lead  on  the 
Avay  back,  —  a  plan  Avhich  accorded  Avith  Jerrold's 
Avishes,  as  it  Avould  give  him  the  opportunity  which  he 
had  been  striving  after,  to  talk  with  Kate  undisturbed. 
But  here  again  he  Avas  baffled  ;  for,  just  as  he  had  placed 
himself  in  the  line,  beside  Kate,  Walter  Godfrey  rode 
up,  and  said,  in  a  low  tone  :  — 

"  Winthrop,  if  Miss  Kate  Avill  alloAV  me,  will  you  let 
me  take  your  place  for  a  little  while  ?  I  have  something 
I  wish  to  say  to  her." 

There  Avas  nothing  left  to  do  but  to  fall  back  into 
Walter's  place  beside  Madge,  Avhich  Jerrold  did  AArith  a 
saA^age  glance  at  his  friend,  and  a  feeling  of  irritation 
towards  Kate.  Without  waiting  for  preliminary  re- 


198  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

marks,  Walter  dashed  at  once  into  his  subject,  with 
youthful  impetuosity :  — 

"Miss  Kate,  I  have  an  immense  confession  to  make  ! 
I  don't  know  what  you  will  think  of  it ;  but  I  love 
Madge,  and  have  asked  her  to  marry  me,  and  she  has 
promised  that  she  will.  I  know  that  I  ought  not  to 
have  spoken  to  her  until  I  had  received  permission  ;  but 
I  couldn't  help  it,"  he  exclaimed  simply.  "  It  all  hap- 
pened so  naturally !  You  see,  Miss  Kate,  I've  loved 
Madge  since  the  moment  she  smiled  on  me,  on  the  hill, 
when  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  her  comb." 

Kate  was  aware  of  the  inexplicableness  of  love's  di- 
vine afflatus,  but  she  recalled  Madge's  appearance  at 
the  moment  alluded  to,  and  —  wondered! 

"Does  my  cousin  Chipie  know  this,  Mr.  Godfrey?" 
Kate  asked,  as  soon  as  the  eager  voice  ceased  speaking. 
She  felt  quite  sure  that  she  did  not  know  it,  and  she 
was  not  slow  in  deciding  as  to  the  reason  which  had 
caused  Madge  to  allow  Walter  to  make  his  confession 
to  herself  in  preference  to  Chipie. 

"No,  nothing  has  been  said  to  Miss  Chipie,"  Walter 
answered,  with  a  slight  flush.  "  Perhaps  this  is  a  second 
faux-pas;  but  Madge  and  I  agreed  that  it  wouldn't  be 
just  the  thing  to  keep  it  to  ourselves  all  day,  and 
Madge  felt  that  it  might  be  too  much  of  a  surprise  to 
her  sister  to  have  it  come  upon  her  so  suddenly." 

Kate  could  not  prevent  the  little  laugh  which  came  at 
the  thought  of  the  consternation  which  she  knew  would 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  199 

overwhelm  her  unconscious  cousin,  upon  hearing  that 
Madgo  had  presumed  to  act  for  herself  thus  boldly, 
upon  so  important  a  matter ;  for  it  had  not  yet  come  to 
her  that  her  sister  could  possibly  be  in  danger  of  falling 
under  Hymen's  influence. 

"Yes,"  Kate  responded,  presently,  "Chipie  will  be 
surprised,  I  know ;  she  hadn't  an  idea  of  it,  and  I  — 
well,  I'm  not  as  much  surprised  as  I  should  be,  —  as 
everybody  else  will  be,  perhaps  ;  but  it  is  the  last  thing 
in  the  world  that  I  should  have  anticipated,  two  months 
ago.  Of  course,  you  know,  I  have  nothing  to  say 
about  it,  —  it  is  nothing  to  do  with  me,  and  I "  — 

"  But,  Miss  Kate,  you  won't  say  anything  against  it, 
when  it  comes  to  be  talked  over?  "  interrupted  Walter, 
eagerly.  "You  see,  we  are  afraid  there'll  be  a  row 
about  it,  on  account  of  our  ages,  and  if  you  would  only 
take  our  part  it  would  be  such  an  immense  help  !  Do 
you  believe  there  will  be  much  of  a  time  made?" 

"I'm  afraid  that  there  will  be,  at  first,  Mr.  Godfrey," 
Kate  was  obliged  to  acknowledge.  "  Uncle  and  auntie 
will  be  so  bewildered,  for  they  have  made  such  a  baby 
of  Madge ;  and  to  think  that  it  should  have  happened 
this  summer,  too,  —  this  summer,  in  which  we  supposed 
nothing  would  happen"  — 

"But  it  would  have  happened  soon,"  interposed  Wal- 
ter. "Fellows  couldn't  help  falling  in  love  with  any 
one  so  glorious  as  Madge,  and  no  one  could  ever  care 
for  her  as  I  do  !  I  can't  tell  you  anything  about  my 


200  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

feelings  for  Madge,  —  it  is  of  no  use  to  try,  —  only  if  her 
parents  will  let  me,  I  am  going  to  work,  and  see  what  I 
can  do  to  make  myself  worthy  of  her.  A  rich  fellow 
can  make  as  much  of  himself  as  a  poor  one,  if  he  has 
something  to  spur  him  on ;  and  I'm  going  to  do  it, 
too  ! " 

"  Mr.  Walter,  you  will,  —  I  know  you  will,"  said 
Kate,  earnestly,  as  she  looked  at  the  strong,  bright 
face  beside  her.  "  I  like  you,  and  I  will  do  my  best  to 
make  your  path  smooth ;  but,"  she  added  hastily,  as  she 
saw  Jerrold  approaching,  "  you  will  speak  to  Chipie,  or, 
rather,  you  will  write  to  Uncle  Margrave,  at  once?" 

"  Yes,  before  I  go  to  sleep  to-night ;  and  I  won't  see 
Madge,  after  this,  until  I've  talked  with  your  mother. 
Will  she  see  me  in  the  morning  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  of  it,"  answered  Kate,  smiling,  as  Jerrold 
came  up  with  a  black  brow. 

"Beg  pardon,  Godfrey,  but  Miss  Madge  desires 
your  assistance.  Her  girths  need  tightening." 


CHAPTEE 


ERROLD  maintained  a  chilly  air  of  reserve  for 
some  time  after  rejoining  Kate,  who  found  her 
efforts  to  arouse  him  to  any  degree  of  cheer- 
fulness fruitless.  So  depressing  was  his  manner  that 
her  own  spirits  began  to  flag  finally,  and  she  was  on 
the  point  of  abandoning  herself  to  her  own  reflections, 
when  Jerrold's  voice  deterred  her  :  — 

"Kate,  ride  slowly,  I  beg  of  you  !  Permit  the  others 
to  go  on,  if  they  will.  I  must  address  you,  inoppor- 
tunely it  may  be,  upon  a  subject  of  deep  importance  to 
myself.  I  hardly  know  in  what  way  to  open  my  suit  ; 
but  I  am  sanguine,  Kate,  that  you  will  not  be  inimical 
to  the  confession,  which  I  assure  you  I  deem  it  a  privi- 
lege to  make  —  -yes,  &  privilege!" 

There  was  no  use  in  trying  to  stop  it.  In  his  peri- 
phrastic fashion  Jerrold  was  about  to  make  a  proposal, 
and  Kate  knew  only  too  well  that  evasion  now  would 
simply  mean  postponement  ;  and,  annoyed  and  sorry 
though  she  was,  she  felt  that  it  would  be  unfair  to 
Jerrold  to  let  him  continue  to  cherish  hopes  that  could  not 
be  realized.  His  manner  towards  her  since  her  recov- 


2O2  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

ery  had  made  it  impossible  to  misunderstand  the 
nature  of  his  regard. 

She  had  endeavored  to  make  him  feel  the  futility  of 
his  hopes,  for  the  sake  of  sparing  him  open  mortification  ; 
but  it  had  availed  nothing,  —  he  was  pitiably  blind. 

"Kate,"  he  continued,  after  a  moment's  pause,  "the 
divine  passion  which  comes  to  a  man  in  its  full  intensity 
but  once,  fills  my  soul,  and  when  I  ask  myself,  is  it  a 
sudden  emotion,  and  therefore  evanescent,  I  find  an 
answer  in  retrospection  ;  for  never,  since  the  early  days 
of  my  childhood,  has  the  image  of  my  playmate  —  un- 
friend—  ceased  to  illumine  my  path.  Kate,  assure  me 
that  I  may  rejoice  in  a  full  reciprocation  of  my  affection  ! 
My  wealth,  my  name,  myself,  I  cast  at  your  feet." 

The  others  were  some  distance  in  advance,  and,  near- 
ing  Kate,  he  placed  his  hand  on  her  horse's  bridle  and 
held  it  firmly,  while  he  kept  his  eyes  fastened  upon  her 
face.  He  must  have  read  his  answer  there,  even  before 
she  spoke,  for  his  expression  changed,  and  his  hold  on 
the  bridle  tightened.  Kate  was  grieved  and  indignant, 
—  which  feeling  predominated,  she  hardly  knew.  She 
recoiled  from  giving  the  death-blow  to  Jerrold's  self- 
love,  and  yet  the  cool  confidence  with  which  he 
addressed  her  was  insufferable.  But  they  had  been 
happy  children  together,  and  she  had  been  used  to 
overlook  and  forgive  his  unhappy  traits. 

"Jerrold,"  she  said  presently,  "Psyche  rebels  at 
being  forced  to  stand  !  "  and  then  she  continued  gently, 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  20$ 

"  I  am  sorry  —  more  sorry  than  I  can  tell  —  that  this 
should  have  occurred  !  It  is  as  hard  for  me  as  for 
you ;  for,  as  we  were  saying  this  morning,  we  are  such 
very  old  fi  lends — friends;  but  that  is  all,  —  we  can 
never  be  more  !  " 

Jerrold  was  stupefied ;  a  look  of  incredulity  swept 
over  his  face,  which  had  grown  a  shade  more  sallow 
within  the  last  minute.  Presently  he  recovered  him- 
self sufficiently  to  gasp  :  — 

"  What !  What !  You  spurn  my  love  !  You  are 
trifling,  Katrina,  —  surely  you  are  trifling!  You  do 
not  understand,  — I  offer  you  myself!  Is  that  so  worth- 
less an  oblation  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  trifling,  Jerrold,"  Kate  answered,  an  al- 
most imperceptible  curl  wreathing  her  lips.  "  You  must 
know  that !  But,  because  we  have  been  friends  so  long, 
let  me  talk  to  you  plainly.  You  think  now  that  you 
care  for  me,  but "  — 

"  Tldiik  that  I  care  for  you  !  Great  Heavens  !  I  tell  you 
that  it  is  no  chimerical  affection,  begotten  in  an  hour ! 
It  has  been  my  life — my  guiding-star.  Kate,  you 
must  —  you  shall  love  me,  —  I  will  not  give  you  up  !  " 

His  voice  was  hoarse  ;  his  eyes,  no  longer  smouldering, 
blazed  upon  his  companion,  while  his  sharp  white  teeth 
just  showed  their  edges.  Kate  was  shocked  at  the 
unrestrained  passion  ;  but  she  knew  how  much  of  it  was 
born  of  wounded  pride  and  vanity.  11(3  cared  for  her 
as  much  as  his  egotistic  nature  was  capable  of  caring  for 


206  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

any  one.  She  was  the  only  girl  with  whom  he  had  ever 
been  on  intimate  terms  of  friendship,  and,  in  accordance 
with  his  character,  he  had  accepted  her  frank  cordiality 
as  marks  of  especial  personal  favor.  Nothing  had  ever 
unsettled  his  faith  in  his  own  merits,  and  hence  he  \vas 
bewildered  and  upset  by  his  defeat. 

Kate  witnessed  the  bitter  outburst  with  pain,  and  much 
of  it  got  into  her  voice,  which  was  sorrowful  enough  to 
have  touched  a  less  selfish  heart  than  Jerrold'.s. 

"Don't  make  it  so  hard  for  me,  dear  Jerrold !  Be 
reasonable  !  —  be  a  man  !  Let  me  show  you  how  im- 
possible it"  — 

"Pardon,  I  desire  no  further  explanation;  the  fact  is 
sufficient.  You  cast  me  aside ;  niy  love  is  worthless. 
It  is  enoiKjJi .' " 

He  waited  a  moment,  as  if  for  a  ray  of  hope ;  but 
Kate's  only  reply  was  :  — 

"  I  am  sorry,  Jerrold  !  " 

With  a  cold  inclination  of  the  head  he  dashed  his 
spurs  into  his  horse's  side,  and  disappeared  down  a  by- 
road, leading  off  at  right  angles.  Kate  hoped  that  no 
one  had  seen  the  theatrical  departure,  particularly 
Grove  and  Chipie,  who  she  knew  would  be  merciless 
towards  so  tragic  a  lover  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
The  sudden  desertion  left  her  in  an  awkward  position ; 
but  the  bread  she  had  cast  upon  the  waters  was  about  to 
return  to  her.  Walter  Godfrey  had  witnessed  his 
friend's  abrupt  leave-taking,  and,  without  much  dim- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  2O? 

culty,  surmised  its  meaning,  and  very  quietly  fell  out 
of  the  line  and  rode  back  to  Kate. 

"Miss  Kate,  may  I  ride  with  you?"  he  exclaimed, 
brightly,  as  he  joined  her.  "  I've  gotten  Mr.  von 
Weckbecker  into  a  bad  humor,  and  Madge  is  trying  to 
pacify  him.  He  is  an  immensely  clever  fellow,  but  it's 
sport  to  see  him  post.  There's  no  danger  of  his  horse's 
strength  giving  out  if  he  keeps  that  up ;"  and  Walter 
laughed  heartily. 

"  It  was  good  in  you  to  come  back,  Mr.  Walter,"  said 
Kate,  feeling  that  she  must  account  for  Jerrold's  absence. 
"  Jerrold  and  I  have  had  a  little  misunderstanding,  and 
he  has  gone  home  by  the  cross-road.  I  hope  the  others 
may  not  notice  it  particularly." 

"  Oh,  I  will  make  that  all  right,  Miss  Kate,"  Walter 
said  quickly,  noticing  Kate's  look  of  annoyance,  and 
then  he  called,  as  they  came  up  with  the  others  :  — 

"  Mr.  von  Weckbecker,  why  don't  you  ask  Miss  Kate 
to  teach  you  to  '  ride  hard '?  She  will  do  it  much  better 
than  I  possibly  could,  and  now  we  have  just  an  even 
number ;  so  you  must  come  to  order.  Winthrop  took 
the  cross-road  home,  on  account  of  a  little  indisposition." 

Carl  had  been  making  some  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
"ride  hard,"  which  had  provoked  so  much  merriment 
that  his  ambition  had  been  fired,  and  he  began  his  first 
'lesson  with  laughable  zeal.  Kate  was  thankful  to  have 
her  attention  taken  up  in  this  way,  and,  owing  to  Wal- 
ter's tact,  no  discomfort  arose  from  Jerrold's  sudden  re- 


2O8  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

treat.  It  was  poor  Chipie,  as  usual,  who  was  doomed 
to  outward  chagrin.  When  about  half  way  home  Mr. 
Erskinc  discovered  that  he  had  lost  a  small  locket,  con- 
taining a  miniature  of  his  sister,  which  he  had  been 
showing  to  Chipie ;  less  than  a  mile  had  been  travelled 
since  he  had  replaced  it  in  his  pocket ;  so  the  others 
waited,  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  while  he  and  Carl  went 
back  to  search  for  it. 

Chipie's  horse  received  the  delay  most  unwillingly, 
and  pawed  and  pranced,  and  champed  his  bit  with  res- 
tive discontent.  It  required  all  Chipie's  strength  to  hold 
him  in  ;  but,  disdaining  assistance,  she  circled  and  cur- 
veted about  airily,  trying  to  appear  quite  at  ease,  as 
she  listened  with  apparent  interest  to  Miss  Darcy,  who 
was  relating  an  experience  she  once  had  with  a  runaway 
horse  ;  the  thrilling  part  of  the  story  was  just  reached, 
—  the  part  where  the  horse,  after  a  wild  gallop,  had  finally 
precipitated  Miss  Darcy  into  a  hogshead  half  full  of 
water, — when  a  landau  rolled  by  at  full  speed.  The 
sudden  glitter  of  the  harness-mountings  was  too  much 
for  Chipie's  nervous  horse,  and  away  he  started,  easily 
divining  that  no  master-hand  held  the  reins.  With  des- 
perate tugs,  and  piteous  commands  to  "  whoa,"  Chipie 
barely  managed  to  keep  her  seat.  Faster  went  the  lan- 
dau and  faster  went  the  thorough-bred.  Two  barefooted 
gamins  picked  up  their  marbles,  bet  heavily  in  "  two- 
zers  "  and  "  blood-alleys"  as  to  the  result  of  the  race, 
and  then,  in  hot  pursuit,  tore  after  the  flying  steed,  to 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  2OQ 

witness  the  "coming  in."  Suddenly  the  landau  swept 
into  a  gate-way,  and  Chipie,  clinging  to  her  pommel, 
and  shouting  with  frantic  emphasis,  "  Whoa  !  Whoa ! 
Whoa  !  "  followed  up  the  avenue,  directly  behind  ;  and 
when  the  carriage  came  to  a  stop,  her  horse,  with  a 
graceful  arching  of  his  handsome  neck,  stopped  also, 
thus  leaving  his  rider  in  a  most  conspicuous  position  for 
ten  pale,  languid  blue  eyes  to  rest  upon.  With  a  chok- 
ing sensation  Chipie  scanned  the  owners  of  the  eyes 
for  a  moment,  as  she  tried  to  collect  her  scattered  senses 
sufficiently  to  make  an  explanation,  and,  partly  to  her 
relief,  and  partly  to  her  dismay,  she  recognized  an  ac- 
quaintance in  one  of  the  ladies.  The  sight  of  a  familiar 
face  restored  her  equanimity  directly,  and,  in  spite  of 
her  flurried  entrance,  she  looked  very  charming ;  and 
her  vehement  cries  having  been  covered  partially  by  the 
noise  of  carriage-wheels,  it  was  not  half  the  dreadful  mis- 
hap Avhich  it  had  at  first  promised,  and  she  would  have 
been  very  soon  mollified  had  she  not  found  Mr.  Erskine 
at  the  gate  waiting  for  her.  He  had  found  his  locket, 
and  had  remounted  his  horse,  just  as  Chipie  had  taken 
flight ;  —  and  although  he  had  seen  enough  to  alarm  him 
for  her  safety,  the  drollery  of  the  affair  had  not  struck 
him,  having  lost  sight  of  her  as  she  turned  in  after  the 
carriage.  But  Chipie  did  not  know  this  ;  she  only  saw  a 
serious  look  in  the  gray  eyes,  as  she  walked  her  sub- 
dued horse  into  the  road,  which  she  misconstrued,  as 
she  had  misconstrued  similar  looks  before. 


210  MARPLOT  'CUPID. 

"  I  am  fated"  she  said  bitterly  to  herself.  "  The  man 
will  think  I  am  an  idiot !  Such  things  never  happened 
to  me  before  this  summer  ;  what  does  it  mean  ?  But  it 
is  cruel  in  him  to  look  so  stern  and  dignified  always  !  " 

Cfiipie  was  unusually  quiet  after  this,  and  permitted 
her  companion  to  do  most  of  the  talking  for  the  rest  of 
the  way  home. 

That  night,  when  slumber  at  length  overcame  her, 
the  events  of  the  day  mingled  themselves  in  her  dreams 
strangely.  She  dreamed  that  she  was  running  a  race 
with  Lafayette,  and  in  their  excitement  they  ran 
their  horses  through  a  window  of  a  stately  homestead, 
passing  over  a  long  dining-table,  at  the  head  of  which 
Mr.  Erskine  presided,  his  right-hand  guest  being  Paul 
Revere,  who  wore  a  locket  upon  his  watch-chain,  con- 
taining a  miniature  of  herself. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

saying  good-night  at  Chavenage,  Mr. 
Erskine  wended  his  way  home  slowly.  It  was 
only  nine  o'clock  when  he  reached  the  little 
cottage ;  but  it  was  quite  dark,  with  the  exception  of  a 
dim  light  in  the  front  room,  which  he  occupied. 

The  moonlight  was  soft  and  pleasant,  and  the  air  was 
full  of  the  scent  of  southernwood ;  -but,  apparently  un- 
conscious of  the  evening  charms,  Mr.  Erskine,  with  head 
bowed,  and  arms  folded  across  his  breast,  paced  slowly 
up  and  down  the  grass-grown  path.  For  more  than  an 
hour,  he  kept  up  his  quiet  beat ;  but  he  did  not  think 
aloud,  so  the  man  in  the  moon  was  baffled  in  his  attempt 
to  account  for  the  contracted  brow  and  the  firm  lines 
about  the  mouth.  At  last,  with  something  between  a 
whistle  and  a  long-drawn  sigh,  he  approached  the  little 
green  door,  drew  a  key  from  his  pocket,  and  let  him- 
self in. 

And  while  Chipie,  a  mile  away,  was  dreaming  her 
medley,  Mr.  Erskine  sat  by  the  hour-glass  table,  pen- 
ning a  letter  to  his  sister.  After  he  had  finished  he 
sat  back,  glanced  hastily  through  it,  and  then,  with  a 


212  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

short  laugh,  folded  and  scaled  it.  It  was  a  very  simple 
letter,  and  seemed  hardly  to  have  called  for  such  pro- 
found thought.  It  ran  thus  :  — 

CAROLINE,  MY  DEAR  SISTER,  —  I  sincerely  regret  having  merited 
the  maledictions  which  your  note  of  Thursday  last  showered  upon 
me.  I  will  make  no  attempt  to  vindicate  myself ;  I  only  ask  if  you 
aren't  a  trifle  wild  to  expect  "  entertaining"  letters  from  the  quiet 
country  gentleman  into  which  your  brother  has  been  recently 
metamorphosed  ? 

What  shall  I  Avrite  about?  You  demand  a  "  gossipy "  letter. 
My  dear  Carry,  in  this  nutshell  of  a  community  there  is  little  to 
gossip  about,  even  were  I  a  good  news-catcher,  which  I  am  not. 
Should  I  enlarge  too  freely  upon  the  beauties  of  nature  here  dis- 
played, you  would  dub  me,  as  once  before,  romantic.  Were  I  to 
offer  you  a  series  of  intellectual  treatises,  you  would  immediately 
fall  to  comparing  me,  detrimentally,  with  my  honored  brother-in- 
law.  So  what  am  I  to  do  ?  First,  you  beggar  me,  and  then  you 
jisk  me  to  give  ! 

By  the  way,  Caroline,  to  make  a  sudden  leap  to  another  subject, 
are  you  aware  what  an  old  fellow  your  brother  is  getting  to  be  ? 
I  doubt  it !  Otherwise,  you  would  never  have  been  guilty  of  insult- 
ing his  venerable  years  by  requesting  "  gossipy  "  letters  ;  —  rather, 
solemn  exhortations  of  wisdom,  as  becometh  one  on  the  down-hill 
of  life  !  My  child,  last  Friday  marked  my  fortieth  birthday.  Yes, 
my  sister,  I  sit,  to-night,  in  my  forty-first  year!  Quite  a  relic,  am 
I  not  ?  The  fact  is,  I've  had  neither  time  nor  occasion,  of  late,  to 
count  my  years  until  dropping  down  into  this  snug  nest,  Avhich 
offers  ample  time  for  reflection,  but  very  little  to  reflect  upon  out- 
side of  one's  self.  I  admit  that  the  weight  of  my  vears  is  not  suffi- 
ciently heavy  to  crush  my  spirits  or  my  ambitions  entirely ;  al- 
though I  suppose  that  the  younger  generation  vote  me  a  bachelor 
passt,  and  would  never  believe  me  capable  of  a  youthful  sensation, 
—  love,  for  instance.  Ah!  what  more  ridiculous  spectacle  can  you 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  21$ 

conjure  up,  Carry,  than  that  of  your  brother,  after  all  these  years, 
falling  in  love  ?  Something  of  a  joke  to  think  of,  isn't  it?  Unfor- 
tunate, too,  as  well  as  ridiculous,  if  the  object  of  his  regard  were 
a  very  youthful  lady,  beautiful,  noble,  and  talented;  —  unfortunate 
for  the  old  brother,  but  amusing  to  the  lady  —  no,  amusing  did  I 
say?  No,  no,  not  that,  —  she  would  be  far  too  generous  and  true 
to  —  Bali !  What  am  I  talking  about  ?  I'm  in  a  freakish  mood  to- 
night !  The  truth  is,  I  ought  to  get  back  to  my  work  ;  I've  been 
wasting  my  time,  I  fear,  although  I  have  gotten  wonderfully 
rested. 

But  one  word  more :  do  you  believe  that  it  would  be  possible, 
or  rather  probable,  that  a  girl,  petted  and  courted  in  society,  and 
with  every  advantage  to  win  whomsoever  she  would,  could  be 
attracted  towards  a  man.  twice  her  own  age  ?  Candidly,  what  do 
you  think  about  it?  It  doesn't  seem  probable  to  me.  You 
ought  to  be  able  to  judge  upon  such  a  matter,  and  I  would 
really  like  your  opinion. 

When  Mrs.  Burlingamc  reached  this  point  in  the 
letter,  three  days  after  it  was  written,  she  could  re- 
strain her  indignation  no  longer;  tossing  the  letter 
aside,  she  looked  appealingly  towards  her  husband, 
"who,  stretched  in  an  easy-chair  beside  her,  was  medi- 
tatively regarding  his  slippered  feet,  which  were 
pointed  comfortably  towards  the  open  grate. 

"Archibald,  what  does  it  mean?  Rogers  is  cer- 
tainly in.  love!  '  Old,'  indeed  !  A  'relic'!  A  '  passe 
bachelor'!  What  absurdity!  The  great,  noble  fel- 
low,—  why,  he  will  never  grow  old, — never!" 

Mr.  Burlingame  smiled,  and  blinked  contentedly 
at  the  glowing  coals.  Mrs.  Burlingame  was  undeni- 


214  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

ably  excited  by  her  brother's  fragmentary  epistle,  and, 
after  a  moment's  pause,  again  broke  forth:  — 

"'"Would  it  be  possible,'  —  "would  it  be  probable,' 
that  "such  a  girl  would  be  attracted'?  O  Archi- 
bald, would  you  have  believed  that  there  existed  a 
man  of  such  noble  modesty  ?  Ah,  Rogers,  my  dear," 
she  murmured,  with  soft  vehemence,  as  she  rocked 
rapidly  to  and  fro,  ""happy  the  girl,  indeed,  who  wins 
you ! " 

"  Have  you  an  idea  whom  the  fortunate  young  lady 
may  be?"  queried  Mr.  Burlinganie,  with  a  smile  of 
amusement.' 

""Most  assuredly,  my  dear,"  responded  Mrs.  Bur- 
lingame,  decidedly.  "  It  is  Kate  Sturgis,  whom  Dem- 
mie  talks  so  much  about.  You  remember  she  told  us 
of  a  delightful  little  visit  which  she  made  some  time 
ago  to,  —  what  was  the  name  of  the  place  ?  —  Chaveley, 
I  believe,  —  the  name  of  the  Sturgis's  country-seat ! 
Yes,  yes,  I  might  have  known  that  this  would  come  ! 
Rogers  had  so  much  to  say  in  his  last  letter,  weeks 
ago,  about  his  anxiety  for  Miss  Sturgis,  while  she  was 
ill.  How  glowingly  he  portrayed  her  courage  and 
heroism  in  saving  her  cousin  from  drowning  and  how 
despondently  he  wrote  of  her  prolonged  and  serious 
illness  ! " 

After  this  Caroline  Burlinganie  fell  into  a  .brown 
study,  and,  before  leaving  it,  she  had  not  only  attended 
her  brother's  wedding,  but  had  welcomed  her  new 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  215 

sister,  Kate  Sturgis  Erskine,  to  her  mountain  villa,  and 
had  planned  and  carried  out  a  dozen  or  more  charm- 
ing festivities  in  her  honor.  Next  she  retired  to  a 
crimson  study,  and,  seating  herself  at  her  writing-desk, 
she  indited  a  letter  which  should  have  carried  hope  to 
the  doubting,  courage  to  the  halting,  and  proved  an 
antidote  to  mauvaise  honte. 


CHAPTEE    XX. 

HE  morning  succeeding  the  horseback  ride, 
although  as  bright  and  exhilarating  as  the  pre- 
ceding,  was  unappreciated  by  the  weary  eques- 
trians, who,  with  the  exception  of  Grove,  slept  long 
after  the  usual  breakfast  hour.  It  was  necessity, 
rather  than  inclination,  which  drew  Grove  from  the 
bliss  of  his  morning  nap :  he  had  a  letter  to  get  off  by 
the  morning  mail,  and  after  it  was  written  and  sealed 
he  stepped  out  upon  the  veranda  to  hasten  the  groom's 
departure.  The  freshness  of  the  morning  was  inviting, 
and,  just  as  he  had  sauntered  out  amongst  the  shrubs, 
his  ear  caught  the  sound  of  hurrying  hoofs.  A  few 
minutes  later,  General  Winthrop's  horses  appeared  at 
full  speed,  evidently  bound  for  the  mail-train.  From 
the  window  of  the  coupe  Jerrold's  face,  gloomy  and 
haggard,  looked  out,  and  Grove,  concealed  by  the 
shrubbery,  saw  his  glance  shoot  towards  Kate's  win- 
dow, and  rest  there  with  a  cold,  despairing  look. 

"  Jove  ! "  he  ejaculated,  half  aloud,  as  the  thud  of 
hoofs  died  away;  "I  suspected  as  .much  yesterday! 
Poor  boy  !  poor  boy  !  Sorry  for  him,  although  he  was 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  2 1/ 

an  infernal  little  blockhead  !  Hard  on  Kate,  too,"  he 
went  on,  after  a  pause ;  "  she  hates  this  sort  of  thing 
mightily.  But  I  Avon't  tell  her  of  my  cheerful  vision, 
—  'twould  only  give  her  the  blues.  Heigh-ho  !  it  must 
come  hard  on  a  fellow, —  a  hit  like  this  !  " 

With  thoughts  hundreds  of  miles  away  from  the 
flowers  before  him,  Grove  stooped  and  broke  off  a  spray 
of  heliotrope,  inhaled  its  gentle  perfume  mechanically,1 
placed  it  in  his  button-hole,  and  then  carefully  detached 
from  his  watch-chain  a  ring, —  a  lady's  ring,  one  could 
see  at  a  glance.  There  was  nothing  remarkable  in  its 
appearance  to  a  cursory  observer, —  simply  a  circlet  of 
gold;  but,  upon  close  examination,  such  as  Grove  was 
now  giving,  there  appeared,  delicately  engraven,  a  spray, 
with  leaves  and  buds  of  the  Alpine  flower,  edelweiss. 
It  bore  no  blossom;  the  stem  ended  abruptly,  at  the 
edge,  as  if  lack  of  space  had  deprived  it  of  its  crowning 
beauty, —  the  incompleteness  suggested  some  mystic 
charm.  Only  would  the  little  spray  bloom  upon 
Grove's  wedding-day,  when  the  ring  would  be  placed 
upon  the  finger  of  the  fair  betrothed,  far  away  in  a 
foreign  clime, —  the  finger  which  wore,  upon  this  morn- 
ing of  Grove's  deep  musing,  a  thinner  circlet  of  the 
sumo  rich  gold,  bearing,  like  a  drop  of  glistening  dew, 
a  solitary  edelweiss  blossom. 

Presently  the  ring  was  replaced,  and  Grove  strolled 
down  the  walk  with  a  shade  more  of  compassion  for 
Jerrold  than  mi  slit  have  moved  him  under  other  circum- 


2l8  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

stances,  for  even  in  his  present  character  of  a  crushed 
lover  Jerrold  was  far  from  being  a  hero  in  his  eyes. 
He  was  still  walking  about,  when  the  coupe  returned, 
and,  stopping  at  the  gate,  the  coachman  delivered  a 
note  addressed  to  Kate,  which  Grove  took  at  once  to 
her  room,  and  when  Kate  awoke  she  found  it  pushed 
under  her  door.  It  did  not  require  the  glance  at  the 
odd  chirography  to  tell  her  from  whence  it  came;  she 
felt  it  before  she  had  taken  it  into  her  hand. 

KATRINA  :  —  I  address  you  for  the  last  time !  The  home  of 
my  childhood  is  my  home  no  longer.  Henceforth  the  kindlier 
shores  of  an  alien  land  shall  be  adopted  by  one  whose  birthplace 
is  but  a  mockeiy.  Let  not  the  thought  of  a  Avrecked  life  imbitter 
your  future  happiness  !  'Tis  the  will  of  the  gods  that  Helonium 
alone  shall  bloom  for  me  !  Farewell ! 

J.  R.  V.  WlXTHROP. 

Kate  was  unhappy.  She  read  the  note  over  two  or 
three  times,  and  then  tore  it  up.  Not  that  she  for  a 
moment  fancied  that  Jcrrold's  life  was  the  blasted  thing 
which  his  note  seemed  to  convey,  for  she  believed 
"that  men  had  died,  and  worms  had  eaten  them;  but 
not  for  love!"  However,  she  was  sorry  for  her  old 
friend's  hurt,  and  while  she  knew  that  a  few  months, 
or  perhaps  weeks,  would  work  wonders  in  assuaging 
the  pain,  and  healing  the  wounded  vanity,  she  could 
not  suppress  the  sob  which  rose  at  the  thought  that  a 
keen  heart-pain  had  crept  into  the  golden  summer. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  2 19 

As  she  sat  thinking  the  matter  over,  the  breakfast- 
bell  rang,  and  she  was  obliged  to  go  down,  although 
feeling  very  much  out  of  harmony  with  the  laughing 
voices  which  greeted  her  appearance.  She  succeeded 
so  well,  however,  in  hiding  her  sadness,  that  nobody, 
save  Grove,  detected  the  shadow  that  occasionally 
flitted  over  the  merry  face ;  and  his  acuteness  was  due 
to  the  knowledge  which  his  early  rise  had  brought  him  ; 
for  certainly  no  one  joined  more  gayly  in  the  laugh 
than  did  Kate,  as  Carl,  with  a  disconsolate  physiognomy, 
seated  himself  at  the  table  with  a  total  absence  of  his 
customary  grace. 

"Look  here,  sir,"  exclaimed  Grove,  banteringly, 
"  that  fine  lesson  which  you  took  in  riding  hard,  yes- 
terday, was  rather  too  much  for  your  undisciplined 
bones  !  I  thought  that  you  were  entering  into  it  with 
more  zest  than  wisdom." 

"  Ugh  !  Ugh  !  I  go  never  to  a  famous  inn  again," 
groaned  Carl,  closing  his  eyes.  "I  despise  mo*t  abun- 
dantly all  Wayside  Inns  ;  —  my  body  is  fractured  ;  it  is 
to  be  months  ere  I  am  again  complete." 

"Nonsense,  man,"  laughed  Grove;  "it  needn't  be 
three  hours  if  you'll  take  my  advice.  After  breakfast 
we'll  just  start  off  on  a  good,  sharp  walk  of  three  or 
four  miles,  and  by  the  time  we  get  back  you'll  find 
yourself  a  new  man." 

"A  walk  of  miles!"  cried  Carl,  indignantly.  "No, 
no,  do  not  think  to  place  so  meeserable  a  joke  upon 


220  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

me !  Walk,  in  this  altogether  solemn  condition ! 
Ugh!" 

"  Poor  innocent,  I  haven't  an  idea  of  joking  you  ! 
Don't  you  know  that  that,  or  another  brisk  trot,  is  the 
only  cure  for  lameness  brought  on  by  over-riding?" 

It  required  Kate's  assurance  to  convince  Carl  that  he 
was  not  being  made  the  subject  of  a  joke,  and  he  was 
finally  persuaded  to  accompany  Grove  and  Mr.  Erskine 
in  their  trouting  range  up  a  brook,  a  mile  or  two  from 
Saxony. 

Kate  had  not  seen  Madge  alone  since  "Walter  God- 
frey's disclosure  ;  but  an  opportunity  soon  presented 
itself,  and  in  her  interest  in  Madge's  little  affaire  de 
cceur  her  own  Avas  merged.  Madge  had  told  her  aunt 
all  about  it,  the  night  before  ;  but  Mrs.  Sturgis,  having 
been  suddenly  smitten  with  the  fear  that  she  had  been 
acting  rashly  in  permitting  such  a  terminus  to  her  young 
niece's  visit  to  come  about,  could  not  bestow  the 
heartfelt  approval  which  Madge  longed  for ;  however, 
her  praise  of  Walter  Godfrey's  character  gave  Madge 
vast  comfort  and  encouragement  for  the  home  verdict, 
which  she  looked  forward  to  with  no  little  impa- 
tience. 

"  So,  Madge,  dear,"  Kate  exclaimed,  as  they  made 
their  way,  arm  in  arm,  towards  the  hammocks,  "this 
is  what  the  seclusion  I  promised  you  has  brought 
about !  You  could  not  have  done  much  more  at  New- 
port, could  you?" 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  221 

"I  know  it,  Kate  ;  but  I  couldn't  help  it,  — it  just  did 
itself.  It  was  meant  to  happen,  I'm  sure  !  " 

"Then  you've  changed  your  opinion,  have  you?5' 
laughed  Kate.  "  I  believe  that  you  were  inclined  to 
think,  a  month  or  two  ago,  that  things  only  happen  by 
chance!" 

"  Yes,  I  certainly  have  ;  and  it  is  far  more  delightful, 
I  am  come  to  think,  to  feel  that  events,  like  this  for 
instance,  are  preordained  !  But,  Kate,"  with  an  anx- 
ious little  look,  "  shall  you  like  nie  as  much  as  ever, 
now  that  I  am  engaged  ?  " 

Kate  smiled  indulgently.  "I  don't  like  to  make 
rash  promises,"  she  said.  "However,  if  you  are  a  nice 
engaged  girl,  I  shall  not  cross  you  from  my  books  ;  there 
is  a  great  difference,  you  know,  in  engaged  girls  !  Some 
are  intolerable ;  but  if  you  will  promise  not  to  look 
abstracted  when  we  are  off  on  good  times,  and  if  you'll 
shun  that  Evangeline  stare  into  vacancy,  as  you  would 
an  adder,  you  shall  find  no  decrease  in  my  affection." 

"  But,  Kate,  Walter  and  I  are  going  to  be  fashiona- 
bles, just  the  same  as  we've  always  been,"  said  Madge, 
ruefully  ;  "  and  you  and  Chipie  will  not  like  that,  now 
that  you  have  so  many  new  ideas  in  your  heads.  But 
we  do  enjoy  society  so  much  !  " 

"Oh,  what  does  Chipie  have  to  say  about  it?"  asked 
Kate,  curiously.  "  Of  course  you've  told  her?" 

"Chipie?"  repeated  Madge,  loftily.  "No,  Chipie 
knows  nothing  about  it." 


222  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"Why,  Madge,  do  you  really  mean  that  you  have 
let  mamma"  and  me  know,  and  not  Chipie?  What  is 
the  reason?" 

"Because,"  responded  Madge,  with  much  dignity,  "I 
wish  Chipie  to  know  nothing  about  the  matter  until  I 
have  heard  from  home.  You  know  how  she  will  aet, 
Kate.  She  is  pleased  to  look  upon  me  as  if  I  were  a 
child ;  and,  as  my  chaperon,  feels  privileged  to  lecture 
and  restrict  me  to  her  heart's  content.  I  do  not  like 
it ;  and  I'm  not  going  to  have  my  lovelv  secret  dese- 
crated by  discussion." 

"But,  Madge,  Chipie  will  be  so  angry  !  " 

"  I  can't  help  it,  Kate  !  She  is  a  darling  girl ;  but 
she  has  her  faults,  and  I  do  not  care  to  expose  them  at 
present." 

Madge  gave  one  of  her  provoking  ripples,  as  she 
threw  herself  back  in  a  hammock. 

"Miss  Independence,  if  you  do  not  take  my  advice, 
and  tell  Chipie  everything,  this  morning,  I  shall  not 
envy  you  the  consequences,"  said  Kate,  quite  seriously. 
"  Besides,  it  isn't  at  all  fair,  Madge  ;  'come,  let  us  reason 
together.' " 

She  sat  down  beside  Madge,  and  for  some  time  a 
lively  disputation  was  kept  up  ;  but  Kate  finally  came 
oft'  victor,  and  she  had  just  consented  to  do  all  that 
she  could  to  break  the  news  gently,  when  Chipie,  as  if 
she  had  had  a  presentiment  that  she  was  wanted,  came 
towards  them.  She  was  in  jubilant  spirits,  and  Madge, 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  223 

reassured,  grew  bold  .and  resumed  her  pedestal,  from 
which  she  had  slipped  within  the  last  few  minutes. 

"What  a  good  time  you  girls  are  having  all  by  your- 
selves ! "  was  Chipie's  gay  salutation.  "Is  it  a  morning 
gossip  ?  —  Oh,  do  let  me  into  it !  " 

Madge  and  Kate  exchanged  glances. 

"Are  you  in  a  mood  for  hearing  news?  "  asked  Kate, 
with  an  effort  at  self-control. 

"  I  was  never  in  a  readier,"  answered  Chipie, 
blithely. 

"Well,  which  do  you  like  the  better, —  a  sudden 
surprise,  or  a  gradual  divulgation?"  questioned  Kate, 
feeling  rather  tremulous  at  the  unsuspecting  face  con- 
fronting her. 

"  A  sudden  surprise,  by  all  means,"  replied  Chipie, 
unhesitatingly.  "I  dote  on  surprises." 

"  Then  permit  me  to  introduce  to  your  majesty  the 
future  Mrs.  Walter  Godfrey."  Kate  waved  her  hand 
towards  Madge. 

"Girls,  what  do  you  mean?"  asked  Chipie,  looking 
startled. 

"  We  mean  that  our  Madge  has  further  immortalized 
the  '  Wayside  Inn,'  by  charming  into  song  a  tale  as 
sweet  as  any  ever  sung  beneath  its  honored  roof,"  re- 
plied Kate,  with  great  animation.  "Would  you  have 
believed  that  the  little  romance  was  transpiring  in  our 
very  midst,  Chipie  ?  " 

Kate  assumed  a  flippant  manner,  that  she  was  far 


224  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

from  feeling,  hoping  to  avert  the  storm  which  she  saw 
was  about  to  burst  over  Madge's  head.  But  it  was  of 
no  use.  Chipie  seated  herself  in  the  rustic  seat,  by 
which  she  had  been  standing,  and,  throwing  as  much 
fierceness  into  her  expression  as  her  piquant  face  would 
admit,  demanded  :  — 

"  Madge,  is  your  cousin  serious?" 

Looking  down  upon  Chipie,  from  her  figurative  ped- 
estal, Madge  replied  deliberately:  — 

"  It  isn't  like  Kate  to  joke  upon  such  a  subject  !  " 

"And  do  ;}4ou  really  mean  that  you  have  —  have  engaged 
yourself  to  that  young  boy  ?  " 

"I  am  engaged  to  Mr.  Godfrey  !  "  —  freezingly. 

"Then,  Miss  Madge,  I  shall  take  it  upon  myself  to 
disengage  you,  at  once  !  Why,  child,  what  are  you 
dreaming  of?  This  Godfrey  is  a  mere  boy!" 

Madge  did  not  deign  to  fill  up  the  pause  which  came 
after  this,  and  Kate  had  said  all  that  she  intended  to  say 
for  the  present. 

"Now,  Madge,"  Chipie  soon  continued,  "  I  shall  see 
this  boy,  and  have  a  plain  talk  with  him  ;  meanwhile,  I 
shall  write  to  mamma,  and  have  you  go  directly  to  her." 

"Chipie,  dear,  I  wouldn't  continue  this  tirade,  if  I 
were  you  ;  it  hardly  becomes  you  !  "  Madge  Avas  frigid 


"  lam  satisfied,  knowing  that  Uncle  Malcolm  and 
auntie  approve   my  choice  !  " 

Madge  moved  majestically  away,  and  for  a  minute  or 
two  after  her  disappearance  silence  reigned.     But  soon 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  22$ 

Kate's  mouth  begun  to  curve,  and  she  felt  an  inclination 
towards  levity :  — 


'  Wilt  thou  draw  near  the  nature  of  the  gods?  — 
Draw  near  them  then  in  being  merciful.' " 


"Merciful !" exclaimed  Chipie,  with  asperity.  "How 
can  you  take  this  matter  so  calmly,  Kate  ?  I  have  never 
been  so  vexed  about  anything  in  my  life  !  What  will 
they  say  at  home?  The  blame  will  fall  upon  me,  of 
course,  and  I  deserve  it ;  —  no,  I  do  not  deserve  it ;  — 
how  could  I  have  imagined  that  two  such  children  would 
have  thought  of  engaging  themselves,  and  that,  too, 
without  first  consulting  their  elders  !  They  must  have 
been  very  underhanded  about  it,  I  am  sure,  or  I  should 
have  suspected." 

"Bless  your  dear  heart!"  cried  Kate,  laughing;  "a 
more  open  and  natural  courtship  never  could  have  oc- 
curred ;  the  very  ingenuousness  of  it  was  what  deceived 
everybody  ! " 

"  But  this  young  Godfrey  is  a  boy,  —  ho  can't  be 
older  than  Madge  herself!  Does  he  seem  grown,  up, 
Kate  ?  I've  thought  so  little  about  him  ! "  • 

"He  seems  unusually  grown  up,  for  his  age, "was  the 
amused  reply.  "He  is  twenty-one,  Madge  says." 

"Twenty-one!"  repeated  Chipie,  with  contempt. 
"And  Madge  is  just  nineteen.  Kate,  it  is  absurd!  I 
shall  not  give  my  consent  to  this  child's  play ;  for,  of 


220  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

course,  it  can  be  nothing  else  !  Madge  must  have  a 
free,  happy,  grown-up  girlhood  before  she  settles  down 
to  the  cares  of  an  establishment ;  the  girl  who  misses 
that  misses  one  of  the  sweetest  things  in  life.  Why, 
Kate,  I  wouldn't  exchange  the  five  lovely,  free  years 
which  have  passed  since  I  was  Madge's  age  for  anything 
in  the  world ;  and  I  know  that  they  will  feel  just  as  I  do 
about  it  at  home." 

"  You  are  right  in  your  ideas,  Chipie,  I  agree ;  but  it 
is  a  dreadful  way  to  take  towards  poor  Madge.  Your 
belligerous  aspect  was  enough  to  bring  about  an  elope- 
ment at  once.  Do  be  amiable  until  you  hear  from 
Uncle  Waldo.  After  all,  it  may  prove  simply  a 
summer  bagatelle,  if  opposition  isn't  brought  to 
bear  !  " 

"Well,"  sighed  Chipie,  reflectively,  "I  must  go  in 
and  talk  with  auntie  ;  and  if  I  succeed  in  calming  my- 
self I  will  return  to  you." 

She  got  up  and  moved  slowly  towards  the  house,  evi- 
dentl}'  no  longer  doting  upon  surprises.  Kate  followed 
the  retreating  figure  with  her  eyes,  and  could  not  help 
wondering  if  she  held  the  secret  which  had  been  the 
cause  of  Chipie's  blindness  in  this  affair  of  Madge's. 
She  was  still  pondering,  when  Madge,  who  had  espied 
her  sister's  departure,  from  the  lilac-path,  where  she  had 
been  strolling  up  and  down,  returned. 

"  There  !  "  she  exclaimed ;  "  you  see  how  it  is  ;  it  is 
just  as  I  knew  it  would  be  !  You  don't  suppose,  Kate, 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  22/ 

that  Chipie  will  go  writing  to  mamma  and  making  trou- ' 
ble  ?     Where  is  she  now  ?  " 

"  She  is  with  mamma ;  and  I  don't  think  you  need  fear 
anything  very  bad,  Madge.  I  have  no  doubt  she  will 
l)e  very  different  when  we  see  her  next,  for  she  looked 
partially  subdued  when  she  left  me." 

And,  sure  enough,  half  an  hour  had  hardly  elapsed 
when  a  voice  was  heard,  repeating :  "I  hold  the  olive  in 
my  hand  ;  my  words  are  full  of  peace  as  matter ;  "  and, 
with  conciliatory  nods  and  smiles,  Chipie  advanced 
towards  her  sister,  and  embraced  her,  —  with  a  some- 
what exaggerated  fervor,  it  is  true,  — but  to  her  credit, 
be  it  said,  Madge  received  the  overture  (feeling  that  it 
must  have  been  a  sore  humiliation  to  her  sister)  with 
indulgent  kindness.  Kate  did  not  wait  to  hear  Chipie's 
explanation  of  her  changed  mood,  but  walked  away 
towards  the  gardens.  She  met  Walter  coming  from  the 
house ;  his  face  wore  a  bright  look,  and  she  rightly 
guessed  that  the  conference  with  her  mother  had  not 
been  altogether  unsuccessful. 

"I  think  it  will  be  all  right,"  he  said,  with  an  earnest 
smile,  as  he  grasped  Kate's  outstretched  hand ;  and 
then  he  added,  a  faint  shadow  touching  his  brow,  "  Miss 
Sturgis,  you  know  that  Winthrop  left  for  Europe,  this 
morning  ?  " 

"Yes,"  Kate  answered  quickly;  and  then  asked, 
"  You  will  stay  with  General  Winthrop  until  he 
leaves  ?  " 


228  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"  Yes,  but  that  will  not  be  for  long  ;  the  General  goes 
to  Washington  two  weeks  from  to-day.  I  do  not  like 
to  think  of  the  breaking-up  !  " 

A  minute  after,  Walter  had  joined  Madge,  and,  as 
Kate  walked  on,  she  suddenly  felt  something  hit  her 
hat,  and  a  tiny  roll  of  paper  fell  at  her  feet.  She 
picked  it  up,  and,  unfolding  it,  read  :  — 

TALE  OF  THE  WAYSIDE  INN. 

On  a  bright  September  morning, 

When  the  earth  was  green  and  fair, 
When  the  birds  their  songs  were  trilling, 

And  sweet  perfumes  filled  the  air ; 

When  the  silv'ry,  purling  brooklet, 

Flowing  o'er  its  pebbly  bed, 
Breathed  all  sorts  of  pretty  secrets 

To  the  flowers  it  daily  fed ; 

In  the  time-worn,  faded  tavern, 

Which  you  know  is  famed  in  rhyme, 
And  which  breathes  a  mist  of  romance 

O'er  events  of  olden  time  ;  — 

A  blithesome  group  had  gathered, 

In  the  hall  now  dim  and  gray, 
Which,  years  agone,  had  used  to  throng. 

With  guests  from  far  away. 

But  two,  beneath  the  ancient  roof, 

In  the  bloom  of  fresh  young  life, 
As  they  wandered  through  the  quaint  old  rooms, 

So  fraught  with  mirth  and  strife, 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  229 

Saw  not  the  walls  with  time-stained  hue, 

The  floors  with  warp  and  seam ; 
For  all  to  them  was  glorified,  — 

They  lived  in  Love's  young  dream ! 

The  one  — 

"Well,  my  little  poetess,"  cried  Kate,  with  a  merry 
laugh,  "  why  didn't  you  finish  it?  You  left  off  in  a  most 
interesting  part ;  now  reveal  your  throne  !  " 

A  childish  peal  of  laughter  was  the  answer,  and  Win- 
ny  was  discovered,  perched  high  up  in  the  branches  of 
an  old  apple-tree,  where  she  was  enjoying  her  favorite 
companions,  —  pencil  and  folio. 

"  If  you'd  waited  five  minutes  longer,  Kate,  I  would 
have  had  some  more  ready.  I've  a  much  nicer  one 
than  that,  but  you  can't  see  it  till  it's  all  finished,  and 
that  won't  be  for  ever  so  long."  Winny  looked  mys- 
teriously down  from  between  the  branches. 

"  But  how  happened  you  to  write  this  ?  Has  any  one 
been  telling  you  secrets  ?  " 

"  Part  of  it  jumped  into  my  head  yesterday,  when  I 
heard  Mr.  Godfrey  call  Madge,  in  a  real  strange, 
dancing  voice,  'My  Queen';  and  then  Uncle  Malcolm 
told  me  the  rest,  a  little  while  ago." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

WO  weeks  had  passed  since  the  events  recorded 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  and  meanwhile  Mother 
Nature  had  been  decorating  her  cherished  dar- 
lings in  gay  and  glowing  colors.  The  trees,  although 
not  yet  in  the  zenith  of  their  autumnal  glow,  no  longer 
wore  their  cool  summer  tints,  and  the  golden-rod  and 
purple  and  white  asters  crowded  the 'roadsides,  as  if  de- 
termined that  their  share  of  the  year  should  triumph 
in  the  wealth  and  depth  of  its  beauty ;  the  feathery 
clematis  hung  in  captivating  festoons  over  tumble-down 
walls  and  twisted  tree-trunks,  as  if  it  longed  to  conceal 
'their  unloveliness  from  the  critical  passer-by;  and  the 
gorgeous  butterflies,  with  their  tiny  red  and  yellow  rela- 
tives, gave  reverence  to  the  kindly  charity  by  clinging 
to  the  misty  blossoms,  and  attracting  the  eye  more 
surely  to  the  nebulous  beauty. 

The  young  people  were  enjoying  every  moment  of 
these  last  days,  although  not  with  quite  the  enthusiastic 
spirit  which  characterized  the  first  weeks.  They  were 
content  to  enjoy  the  hours  as  they  came.  General 
Winthrop  had  left  Wild  wood,  and  Walter  Godfrey  had 


MARPLOT     CUPID.  231 

been  unable  to  resist  the  invitation  which  had  come  to 
him  from  Chavenage,  to  prolong  his  stay  until  Mr. 
Erskine  and  the  girls  should  take  their  departure. 

The  September  chilliness  had  made  it  a  delight  to 
gather  about  the  huge  log  fires  in  the  evening,  and  it 
Avould  be  long  before  the  choice  hours  of  conversation 
and  discussion,  spent  within  their  glow,  would  be  for- 
gotten ;  they  were  hours  to  be  treasured  ! 

It  was  into  the  midst  of  one  of  these  talks  that  Don- 
ald suddenly  presented  himself  with  the  evening  mail, 
and  exclaimed,  as  he  sorted  the  letters  over :  — 

"Mr.  Erskine,  you  are  most  fortunate, — three  for 
you,  and  big  ones,  all  of  them ;  two  tolerably  thick  ones 
for  Mr.  von  Weckbecker  ;  two  mediums  for  Kate  ;  and 
a  thinnest  of  the  thin  for  Chip." 

"Nothing  for  the  rest  of  us,  boy?"  questioned  Grove. 

"  Only  my  blessing,"  said  Donald,  with  a  paternal 
smile,  as  he  drew  a  chair  next  to  Winny,  and  began  to 
tell  her,  in  a  low  voice,  of  his  marvellous  bicycle  feats 
that  afternoon. 

Kate  observed  that  Mr.  Erskine  was  looking  anx- 
iously at  the  addresses  upon  his  letters,  and  said:  — 

"This  is  Liberty  Hall,  Mr.  Erskine;  it  is  permis- 
sible to  read  one's  letters  whenever  one  likes.  Chipie, 
let  us  set  the  example." 

Chipie  ran  her  eye  over  her  brief  note,  and  at  the 
end  made  a  wry  face  at  Grove,  which  Mr.  Erskine 
just  caught  as  he  raised  his  eyes  for  a  moment  from 


232  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

the  page  he  was  reading ;  it  was  the  letter  which  his 
sister  had  written  a  fortnight  before.  He  did  not  read 
it  through,  for  it  was  long  and  closely  written,  and  the 
opening  warned  him  to  put  it  aside  for  the  present,  so 
he  refolded  it,  at  the  end  of  the  first  page,  which 
ran :  — 

Now,  ROGERS,  —  Sister  wants  to  know  all  about  it!  Did  he 
go  into  the  country  with  his  little  gun  and  rod,  determined  to 
shoot  some  little  shoots,  and  fish  some  little  fish?  And  did  lie 
find  it  all  such  pleasant  sport  that  he  could  not  tear  himself 
away,  even  for  a  week's  visit  to  his  only  sister,  pining  for  a 
glimpse  of  him,  up  on  a  mountain-top? 

Ah,  Rogers,  I  am  more  than  suspicious !  I  am  confident  that 
this  Kate  Sturgis,  of  whom  I  hear  so  much,  is  accountable  for 
the  character  and  brevity  of  your  letters.  I  have  been  greatly 
puzzled  about  the  matter,  having  always  named  you  as  my  beau 
ideal  of  a  correspondent;  but  now  I  comprehend.  Do  you 
know,  my  dear  brother,  I  am  quite  I'eady  to  love  and  admire 
Miss  Sturgis !  I've  heard  so  many  nice  things  about  her  from 
Demmie  Gordon,  who  knew  her  well  at  school,  and  saw  much 
of  her  in  society  last  season.  It  seems  that  she  actually  refused 
that  man,  whom  /consider  the  third  finest  man  in  the  world  — 
Colonel  Harry  Lossing !  If  you  are  more  fortunate  you  cer- 
tainly have  a  right  to  feel  flattered,  after  that !  Demmie  says 
it  was  a  great  blow  to  the  Colonel,  —  poor,  dear  fellow  !  —  that  he 
quite  worshipped  Miss  Sturgis,  and  every  one  thought  what  a 
fine  match  it  would  have. been;  but  — 

Here  it  was  that  Mr.  Erskine  had  shut  the  letter  up, 
and,  with  a  slight  tinge  of  annoyance  at  having  been 
thus  made  aware  of  Kate's  private  affairs,  he  sent  a 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  233 

swift  glance  in  her  direction.  She  had  just  asked 
Chipie  if  her  note  were  from  home. 

"  Yes,"  Chipie  replied  ;  "  mamma  and  papa  returned 
two  days  ago,  and  we  are  expected  to  pack  up  our 
ferns  and  birds'-nests  and  go  home.  They  are  home- 
sick for  us,  dear  mamma  says.  Well-a-day ! "  she 
added,  with  a  half-stifled  sigh,  "  I  suppose  we  must 
prepare  to  gird  on  our  armor  for  the  winter's  siege  ! 
How  odd  it  will  seem  to  return  to  it  all,  after  this 
Arcadian  life  ! " 

She  was  gazing  thoughtfully  at  the  blazing  log. 
Whether  Mr.  Erskine  had  noticed  her  remark  did  not 
appear,  for  he  had  opened  a  second  letter,  and  was 
apparently  intent  upon  it.  His  face  \vas  clouded  and 
absorbed,  as  he  slowly  replaced  the  business-looking 
sheet  in  its  envelope.  He,  too,  riveted  his  gaze  upon 
the  log,  now  almost  ready  -to  break. 

"Do  your  letters  bring  pleasant  tidings,  Mr.  Ers- 
kine ? "  Kate  asked  presently. 

"Thank  you,"  was  the  quiet  reply,  "I  suppose 
that  I  ought  not  to  say  no;  but  the  truth  is,  Miss 
Kate,  I  am  become  such  an  ease-loving,  selfish  mortal, 
that  I  am  loath  to  leave  this  paradisiacal  retreat.  This 
letter  recalls  the  fact,  which  I  had  well-nigh  forgotten, 
that  life  isn't  all  a  gala-day ;  so  within  two  days  I  must 
make  my  adieux,  and  return  to  action.  My  memory 
of  Saxony,"  he  added,  intensely,  "will  ever  be  one 
of  the  pleasantest  memories  of  my  life  ! " 


234  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

The  log  gave  a  final  hiss,  broke,  and  fell  apart, 
scattering  its  coals,  and  sending  a  stream  of  gay 
sparks  up  the  wide  chimney.  It  might  have  been  the 
sudden  flare  of  the  fire-light  which  caused  the  sudden 
flush  on  Chipie's  cheeks,  but  she  was  conscious  of  its 
existence,  and  kept  her  eyes  upon  the  flickering  coals. 

Every  one  expressed  regret  at  Mr.  Erskinc's  words, 
except  Chipie,  who  had  become  suddenly  interested 
in  one  of  the  exploits  with  which  Donald  was  enter- 
taining Winny;  and  Kate,  as  she  sat  for  a  moment 
musing,  wTondcred  if  it  were  the  dying  embers  which 
had  lent  the  pallor  to  Mr.  Erskine's  face. 

After  this  a  few  attempts  were  made  to  resume  the 
interrupted  conversation ;  but  the  interest  seemed  to 
have  flagged,  and  no  one  was  inclined  to  be  particu- 
larly brilliant. 

Earlier  than  usual  the  group  separated.  Mr.  Ers- 
kine  had  walked  over  from  the  cottage,  and,  when  he 
rose  to  go,  Grove  and  Walter  insisted  upon  accom- 
panying.  him  part  way.  Carl  had  letters  which  re- 
quired immediate  attention,  and  soon  the  fire,  in  spite 
of  renewed  cheer,  was  deserted  by  all  save  Chipie. 
There  Grove  found  her,  upon  his  return,  listlessly 
cutting  the  leaves  of  a  new  book.  Grove  was  in  a 
vainglorious  mood,  as  he  came  in ;  he  was  sure  that 
he  had  discovered  a  secret  during  the  evening,  and 
he  was  eager  to  flourish  his  sagacity  before  his  favorite 
cousin.  But  he  showed  a  commendably  self-sacrificing 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  235 

spirit,  by  masking  his  features  in  unconsciousness,  as 
he  drew  a  chair  near  Chipie,  and,  seizing  the  tongs, 
made  an  attack  upon  the  half  burnt-logs. 

"Ma  belle  cousine,"  he  exclaimed,  "it  is  fortunate 
that  I  came  to  the  rescue ;  these  poor  friends  would 
have  been  ready  for  their  shrouds  in  five  minutes 
more.  Jove  !  I'm  actually  cold ;  this  evening  air  has 
a  sting  in  it  which  is  far  from  agreeable  !  " 

Rising,  he  rang  the  bell  for  Tony. 

"Tony,"  he  said,  as  the  old  servant  entered,  with  a 
grave  boAv,  "  can't  you  get  up  a  rouser  of  a  fire  here,  — 
one  that  will  blaze,  and  crackle,  and  make  us  forget  that 
winter  is  coming  ?  " 

Tony  left  the  room  with  a  comprehensive  grin,  and 
soon  returned,  bearing  an  immense  pine  knot,  which  he 
triumphantly  placed  across  the  andirons.  In  a  minute 
fantastic  tongues  of  flame  leaped  from  every  side. 

"Dar,  Massr  Grove,"  exclaimed  Tony,  elatedly, 
"reckon  dar  aint  much  'casion  fer  lamps  an'  gas  wid 
dese  yere  'luminators  !  Massr  Grove,  my  granmoder 
live  to  de  extreme  exemflary  age  ob  one  hundred  and 
fo'  yars,  and  dese  yere  pine-knots  was  all  she  eber  done 
hab  in  her  house  for  'luminators  :  she  wouldn't  hab  no 
gas  or  presconces  roun'  her  house  no  how  yah  could  fix 
it,  ah'  she  neber  had  t'  use  a  eyeglass  t'  de  day  ob  her 
experation,  —  couldn't  'suade  her  t' fetch  one  across  her 
eyes  nohow,  an'  when  she  obtained  her  one  hundred 
an'  fo'  yar,  her  eyes  was  so  legible  her  could  read 


236  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

any  thin'  yah  could  set  afore  her.  Oh,  dey's  strodinary 
'luminators  fur  shu  !  " 

With  a  parting  look  of  appreciation  at  the  fire, 
and  showing  his  teeth  delightfully,  he  bowed  himself 
out. 

"O  Grove,"  said  Chipie,  laughing,  as  the  door 
closed  upon  them,  "  Tony  is  outrageous.  I  saw  him, 
this  afternoon,  sitting  sanctimoniously  under  a  tree, 
reading  the  Bible,  and  now  how  unblushingly  he  tells 
this  story  of  his  grandmother.  — poor,  old  slave  !  " 

"  Perhaps  he  doesn't  tell  it  unblushingly  !  One  can't 
tell,  you  know  !  " 

"But  really,  Grove,  I'm  serious.  It  is  dreadful  to 
encourage  these  people  by  seeming  to  credit  their  fab- 
rications !  Why,  it  was  only  yesterday  that  Princess 
was  brushing  my  hair,  when  suddenly  she  exclaimed, 
'Mis'  Chipie,  you'se  got  splendid  liar,  — so  straight  and 
shiny ;  my  har  was  jes  'cisely  like  you'se  till  Madam's 
ole  Virginny  spilt  a  glassful  ob  bilin'  har-oil  on  to  iny 
head,  and  frizzed  it  all  up  into  dis  yere.  Ise  awful  mad 
wid  Virginny  fur  spoiling  my  long,  straight,  shiny  har  ! ' 
The  child  twitched  her  woolly  locks  so  regretfully  that 
I  almost  believed  her." 

"Bless  you,"  laughed  Grove,  "it  isn't  that  they 
mean  to  be  deceitful,  but  their  imaginative  faculties 
are  remarkably  developed ;  their  faith  is  both  great 
and  simple,  and  like  .that  old  fellow  —  you  know 
whom  I  mean,  I  forget  his  name  —  they  have  but  to 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  237 

believe  that  a  thing  is,  and  it  is.  Hence,  their  excul- 
pation." 

"  Grove,  I'm  ashamed  of  you.  Confess  that  you 
enjoy  their  absurd  fibs,  and  that  you  aren't  philanthropic 
enough  to  forego  a  momentary  amusement  for  the  sake 
of  morally  benefiting  these  misguided  creatures !  I 
doubt  if  you've  ever  in  your  life  reproved  one  of  their 
falsehoods  ! " 

"  No."  was  the  smiling  answer,  "  I'm  forced  to  re- 
spect the  fecundity  of  their  brains ;  the  persuasive 
power  by  which  they  beguile  their  listeners  is  worthy  a 
Dickens  —  a  Thackeray  —  a  —  O  motherdy  !  are  you 
home  again  ?"  he  interrupted  himself,  as  Mrs.  Sturgis 
appeared  in  the  door- way.  "  Here  is  a  chair  waiting  for 
you  !  Was  Madam  Rowley  still  bemoaning  her  broken 
jar,  or  had  she  some  fresher  grievance  ?  " 

"Not  a  grievance  this  time,  but  a  'bonne  bouche,'  as 
she  informed  me  when  she  showed  me  three  beautiful 
plaques  which  the  Major  had  just  given  her  ;  she  wants 
you  to  see  them,  Grove  !  But  what  is  this,"  she  went 
on,  "about  Mr.  Erskine?  Is  he  really  going  to  leave 
us  this  week  ?  " 

"  So  he  affirms,"  responded  Grove. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,"  said  Mrs.  Sturgis.  "  What  a 
void  he  will  leave  behind  !  " 

The  last  was  uttered  in  a  tone  of  soliloquy ;  but  no 
sooner  had  she  said  it  than  an  expression  on  Chipie's 
face  made  her  regret  it.  Had  she  been  dreaming,  or 


238  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

why  had  not  the  thought,  suddenly  awakened,  occurred 
to  her  before  ? 

"  Can  it  be,"  she  asked  herself,  "  that  a  second  heart- 
history  has  been  weaving  itself?  " 

She  was  startled,  a  trifle  anxious,  but  not  altogether 
displeased. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

JilpHE  next  day  was  spent  in  gathering  and  press- 
t:T^|  nio  ferns.  Madge  wished  to  carry  home  a 
^r  P  pretty  collection  of  them,  and  most  of  the  day 
was  passed  in  the  woods.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon 
when  Chipie  and  the  t\vo  children  emerged  with  their 
burdens  of  waving  maiden's-hair  ;  they  had  volunteered 
to  gather  this  last  lot  to  fill  out  the  folios  to  which 
Walter  and  Madge  were  rapturously  devoting  them- 
selves. They  had  turned  into  the  path  which  led 
towards  the  terraces  at  the  back  of  the  house,  when 
Mr.  Erskine  came  in  sight,  his  gun  and  knapsack 
swung  across  his  shoulder. 

He  had  not  been  to  Chavenage  during  the  day,  —  an 
omission  so  unusual  that  it  had  occasioned  much  sur- 
prise 

It  had  been  a  restless  day  to  Chipie ;  she  had  been 
having  little  battles  with  herself,  and  indignantly  up- 
braiding herself,  because  of  the  cloud  which  had  sud- 
denly lowered  upon  her  the  previous  evening,  and 
which,  try  as  she  would,  she  could  not  lift.  She  was 
expounding  to  herself  some  highly  philosophical  reasons 


240  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

why  she  should  not  care  for  this  new  friend's  exit 
from  her  world  at  the  very  moment  of  his  appearance. 

"  May  I  relieve  you  of  your  picturesque  load  ? "  he 
said,  in  his  usual  pleasant  manner,  as  he  came  for- 
ward. And  then  he  added,  as  he  took  the  heavy  mass 
from  her  hands,  "  Did  you  leave  any  of  the  graceful 
things  to  die  uncared  for?" 

Donald  turned  at  this  moment,  and  exclaimed 
bluntly  :  — 

"Mr.  Erskine,  we've  been  wondering  what  had 
become  of  you !  If  you'd  been  here  this  morning 
you  would  have  seen  one  of  the  jolliest  pickerel  of  the 
season, —a  six-pounder,  and  a  regular  beauty.  Chip 
was  about  as  mad  as  I  was  that  you  didn't  happen 
over  to  see  it ! " 

"  Is  the  young  man  a  faithful  chronicler,  Miss  Mar- 
grave?" questioned  Mr.  Erskine,  with  a  quiet  smile, 
and  at  the  same  time  a  searching  glance. 

"  We  certainly  felt  that  it  was  cruel  for  a  fisherman 
to  lose  such  a  sight,"  answered  Chipie. 

"I  am  sorry  not  to  have  seen  your  prize,  Donald. 
You  deserve  a  premium  for  capturing  it." 

For  a  few  minutes  the  conversation  was  mostly  be- 
tween Mr.  Erskine  and  the  children ;  but  presently 
Donald  remembered  that  his  father  had  promised  to 
ride  with  Winny  and  himself,  and  so,  hurrying  off  as 
fast  as  their  burdens  would  let  them,  the  children  went 
—  not  altogether  to  Chipie's  pleasure. 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  241 

"Miss  Margrave,"  said  Mr.  Erskine,  earnestly,  "you 
know  I  have  only  one  day  left  in  which  I  may  ask 
favors.  Will  you  allow  me  to  take  you  the  long  way 
home,  by  the  lake  road?  I  should  like  to  commemo- 
rate my  last  evening  by  one  of  the  pleasant  talks 
which  have  given  me  so  much  enjoyment  this  sum- 
mer." 

Chipie  wished  that  he  had  not  asked  it;  hut  an 
assent  was  the  only  answer  to  be  given,  under  the 
circumstances,  and  so  they  walked  on  in  the  direction 
which  Mr.  Erskine  had  intimated.  The  truth  was, 
(liipie  was  uncomfortable.  For  the  first  time  in  many 
weeks  she  was  experiencing  an  awkwardness  in  being 
alone  with  Mr.  Erskine ;  and,  heartily  wishing  that 
she  had  had  some  excuse  for  declining  the  walk,  she 
rambled  on  in  a  lively  manner,  quite  discordant  with 
her  feelings,  hoping  to  seem  her  natural  self. 

Soon,  however,  there  was  no  need  of  disguisement. 
It  was  impossible  not  to  be  tranquillized  by  the  soft, 
hazy  atmosphere  which  makes  the  transitory  Indian 
summer  such  a  marvel.  Chipie  was  glad  that  she 
had  come. 

When  they  reached  the  summit  of  the  hill  they 
stopped  to  rest.  Again  they  were  watching  the  lake 
in  its  beauty  of  the  waning  day,  as  they  had  watched 
it  weeks  ago  ;  only,  now,  all  nature  seemed  mellowed 
into  a  strange  mystery. 

"  My  farewell  draught  of  this  almost  ideal  beauty  ! " 


242  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

said  Mr.  Erskine,  with  low  vehemence,  as  he  raised 
his  hat  from  his  head. 

Chipie  unconsciously  clutched  the  rudbeckias  which 
she  had  gathered  on  the  way ;  but  she  would  not  have 
a  pause  occur  here,  so  she  said  quickly  the  first  thing 
that  came  into  her  mind  :  — 

"Mr.  Godfrey  leaves  us  this  week,  also.  I  am 
sorry,  for  I  am  just  beginning  to  find  how  charming 
he  is.  Do  you  not  like  him,  Mr.  Erskine?" 

"Yes,  he  is  a  fine  young  fellow.  And  he  ought  to 
be  a  very  happy  fellow,"  he  added,  with  unwonted 
earnestness,  "  if  youth  and  success  can  make  one  so  !  " 

Again  the  view  absorbed  him  ;  but,  suddenly  throw- 
ing down  the  ferns  which  he  held,  he  turned  towards 
his  companion,  and  when  he  spoke  his  voice  was 
low  and  full  of  tenderness  :  — 

"Miss  Chipie,  forgive  me, — perhaps  I  am  wrong; 
but  I  cannot  go  away  without  at  least  telliny  you  of 
what  the  summer  has  been  to  me  !  Donald  said  that 
the  friends  had  been  wondering  why  I  had  absented 
myself  upon  this,  my  last  day.  I  will  tell  you  why. 
Alone,  in  the  silent  fields,  I  have  been,  for  hours,  re- 
volving a  question  dearer  to  me  than  my  life.  Miss 
Chipie,  I  am  no  longer  a  young  man ;  I  am  almost 
twice  your  age,  and  while  life  spreads  out  before  you 
a  vista  of  sunshine  and  happiness,  to  me  it  is  a  dio- 
rama wherein  the  shadows  fall  and  linger ;  a  fabric 
with  golden  threads,  truly,  but  with  only  enough  to 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  243 

give  value  and  beauty  to  the  darker  weft !  Mar- 
ffhreta,  I  am  striving  to  get  at  the  heart  of  life,  a 
heart  noble  and  true,  but  not  gay  ;  — am  I  ungenerous 
to  ask  you,  happy  and  care-free,  to  help  me  in  my 
search  ?  /  love  you  !  " 

For  a  moment  Chipie  was  stunned  by  the  intensity 
of  the  man.  Hardly  conscious  of  any  definable  emo- 
tion, she  stood  with  her  eyes  fastened  upon  the  ferns 
at  her  feet. 

"  Marghreta  ! " 

Only  the  one  word,  —  her  own  name  ;  but  it  pene- 
trated the  air  with  such  melody  that  from  very  won^ 
der  she  looked  up.  As  long  as  she  lived  the  memory 
of  that  face  never  faded  ;  at  first  she  thought  that  a 
sun-ray  had  fallen  upon  it, — but  no,  the  spreading 
beech  formed  a  complete  shade,  and  she  knew  that 
the  inner  light  was  its  antitype. 

Chipie  was  amazed  at  her  own  unimpassioned  mood ; 
for  a  moment  she  had  experienced  a  throb  of  unalloyed 
happiness,  and  then,  incredible  as  it  would  seem,  a 
vision  rose  before  her  of  that  first  meeting.  All  the 
mortification  and  misery  which  it  had  brought  her 
came  sweeping  back  afresh,  and  the  thought  of  the 
revulsion  which  her  companion  would  feel  were  she  to 
reveal  herself  held  her  mute. 

When,  after  much  waiting,  the  silence  was  broken,  it 
might  have  been  but  a  variation  in  the  murmur  of  the 
whispering  branches,  so  faint  and  far  away  it  seemed, 


244  MARPLOT     CUPID. 

"Don't  —  don't  say  any  moA,  Mr.  Erskine  !  I  am 
not  at  all  what  you  think  me,  — I  have  a  confession  to 
make  !  " 

"  My  child!  " 

The  light  had  died  out  of  his  face,  and  there  were 
intense  lines  about  the  mouth. 

«  j  » 

But  Chipie  did  not  finish;  with  a  howl  of  delight 
Major  came  springing  down  upon  her,  with  his  usual 
lack  of  ceremony,  and  Kate,  Grove,  and  Carl,  appeared 
a  moment  after,  from  behind  the  bend  of  the  path. 
That  they  were  as  much  surprised  as  the  two  figures 
whom  they  found  themselves  confronting,  there  could 
be  no  doubt ;  nor  Avas  it  possible  to  mistake  the  nature 
of  the  tcte-a-tete ;  the  two  faces  and  Mr.  Erskine's  out- 
stretched hands  made  it  only  too  obvious. 

Kate  was  in  a  tumult  of  rage  with  herself.  "  To 
think,"  she  exclaimed  to  Grove,  when  they  were  alone, 
"that  the  very  thing  which  I've  been  hoping  for  all 
summer  should  have  been  interrupted  in  that  barbar- 
ous fashion  !  I  wonder  if  they  will  both  hate  poor 
Major?" 

The  only  thing  to  do,  however,  was  to  appear  as  ob- 
livious as  possible.  Grove,  as  usual,  manifested  his 
perfect  unconsciousness  of  anything  unusual  by  a  flow 
of  nonsensical  pleasantries,  which,  if  it  helped  to  relieve 
from  embarrassment,  did  so  at  the  expense  of  some  tor- 
tured nerves.  Kate  felt  that  every  word  which  was 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  245 

uttered  was  a  sort  of  desecration,  and  as  soon  as  she 
could  do  so,  without  too  much  brusqueness,  said  :  — 

"  We  must  bid  you  good-by,  Mr.  Erskine  and  Chipie. 
I've  commissioned  those  young  men- to  get  me  as  much 
of  that  flaming  golden  maple,  overhanging  the  lake,  as 
they  think  I  have  a  right  to  claim  ;  and,  lest  they  grow 
weary  in  well-doing,  I  must  remain  near  to  encourage 
them." 

Kate  congratulated  herself  upon  having  made  a  pol- 
itic manoeuvre,  as  she  sat  waiting  for  her  leaves  ;  the 
broken  thread  could  now  be  caught  up,  she  told  herself. 
But,  unfortunately,  her  cleverness  availed  nothing,  for 
as  she,  with  her  retinue,  disappeared  down  one  side  of 
the  hill,  Donald,  running  and  out  of  breath,  appeared 
on  the  other. 

"Hallo,  there,  Chip!"  he  called  excitedly.  "I 
wouldn't  make  promises,  if  I  were  you,  unless  I  meant 
to  keep  them  !  Uncle  Waldo  is  at  the  house,  waiting 
for  you,  and  he's  been  there  nearly  an  hour  already  ;  he 
came  just  as  we  were  starting  for  our  ride,  and  he's 
going  back  to  Boston  on  the  eight-o'clock  train  ;  so  I 
advise  you  to  brace  up  if  you  want  to  see  him  at  all." 

"  Papa !  Do  you  really  mean  that  papa  is  here  ?  " 
exclaimed  Chipie,  somewhat  startled,  as  Donald  came 
near.  "  What  could  have  brought  him,  and  for  such  a 
flying  visit,  too?" 

Donald  laughed. 

"Why,  it's  such  an  awfully  gQod  joke,  you  know! 


246  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

They've  only  just  heard  about  Madge's  jollification,  and 
the  minute  Uncle  Waldo  got  it  into  his  dazed  head  that 
Madge  had  gone  and  engaged  herself  up  here  in  the 
wilderness,  as  he  thinks  it,  he  jumped  on  to  the  train 
and  swooped  down  on  us.  The  letters  that  Madge  and 
Mr.  Godfrey  wrote,  two  weeks  ago,  have  been  spinning 
about  the  mountains  on  a  chase  after  uncle  and  aunt, 
and  only  reached  them  to-day." 

Chipie  bit  her  lips  in  vexation.  Why  had  Donald 
come  at  such  a  time,  with  a  tale  like  this?  She  tried 
to  catch  his  eye,  in  order  to  prevent  further  annoyance  ; 
but  it  was  useless.  Donald's  eyes  were  intent  upon  the 
grasses  which  he  was  decapitating  with  his  riding-whip, 
as  he  continued  :  — 

"  I  left  Uncle  Waldo  and  Mr.  Godfrey  having  a  little 
talk,  and  Madge  was  in  the  garden,  in  one  of  her  high 
and  mighty  moods,  waiting  for  peace  to  be  declared.'' 

Here  Donald  glanced  at  Chipie,  with  a  suggestive 
laugh  ;  evidently  the  little  event  amused  him.  But  the 
answering  glance  warned  him  that  his  remarks  were 
unappreciated.  He  became  suddenly  subdued,  and  all 
three  were  relieved  when,  as  they  neared  the  house, 
Mr.  Margrave,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Sturgis  and  Winny, 
met  them.  The  former  was  a  courteous,  affable-appear- 
ing man,  although  upon  this  occasion  he  wore  an  ex- 
pression far  more  serious  than  was  usual  with  him. 
The  news  wThich  had  come  to  him,  a  few  hours  before, 
had  been  startling,  although  the  first  feeling  of  depres- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  247 

sion  had  begun  to  wear  off  upon  observing  the  quietude 
which  prevailed  upon  the  subject  in  his  sister's  family. 
Without  a  doubt  he  would  have  returned  greatly 
calmed  to  Mrs.  Margrave,  who  was  awaiting  his  arrival 
with  much  anxiety,  the  fatigue  of  the  journey  having 
kept  her  from  accompanying  him,  had  not  further  de- 
velopments come  to  him,  —  developments  which,  in  spite 
of  her  husband's  eulogiums  upon  Chipie's  new  friend, 
kept  Mrs.  Margrave  awake  half  the  night,  and  which 
caused  more  than  one  tear  to  fall  upon  the  faded  pict- 
ures of  her  two  baby-girls,  which  seemed  to  the 
mother's  heart  to  have  been  taken  hardly  longer  ago 
than  yesterday.  The  moment  that  her  father  had  taken 
his  leave  Chipie  shut  herself  in  her  room,  and  gave 
herself  up  to  thought,  —  thought  made  up  of  vari- 
formcd  emotions.  Half  an  hour  had  elapsed  when, 
with  a  little  air  of  triumph,  she  arose,  and,  walking 
towards  the  glass,  surveyed  herself  steadfastly. 

"Chipie  Margrave,"  she  exclaimed  presently,  "  please 
give  an  account  of  yourself!  Who  are  you,  and  what 
is  the  meaning  of  the  craven  spirit  which  you  have  been 
cherishing  for  weeks  and  months  ? 

"  Answer,  —  I  am  a  Bostonian,  of  highly  respectable 
lineage.  I  precipitated  myself  into  a  pool  of  water, 
some  months  ago,  and,  not  having  deported  myself  with 
the  easy  grace  which  the  occasion  demanded,  I  have  been 
loath  to  allude  to  the  faux  pas,  lest  my  trusting 
friends  should  argue,  from  the  tenacity  with  which  I 


248  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

clung  to  the  rnire,  that  wings  were  as  far  from  me  as 
heaven   itself." 

With  a  nod,  expressive  of  relief,  she  seated  herself 
by  he i-  writing-desk,  and,  selecting  a  dainty  sheet  of 
note-paper,  wrote  :  — 

DEAR  MR.  ERSKINE  :  —  If  I  have  pained  you,  forgive  me !    I  am 
sorry.     May  I  answer  your  question,  to-morrow  morning,  at  five 
o'clock?    I  will  meet  you  on  the  South  Veranda. 
Very  sincerely  yours, 

MARGHRETA  MARGRAVE. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


£e  have  seen  Chipie  the  following 
morning,  as  she  stepped  upon  the  piazza  at 
exactly  five  minutes  of  five,  she  would,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  have  been  astonished ;  but,  had  she 
known  the  reason  thereof,  she  would  have  been  scan- 
dalized as  well. 

Chipie's  dress  was  certainly  not  selected  for  the  sake 
of  enhancing  her  charms.  A  pair  of  thick  walking  boots 
signified  that  she  still  retained  a  close  connection  with 
terrestrial  discomforts.  Her  dress  was  caught  up  suffi- 
ciently high  to  protect  it  from  the  wet  grass,  while  a 
pretty  scarlet  jacket  buttoned  close  to  the  throat,  and  a 
round  felt  hat,  which  would  kindly  receive  the  drippings 
from  the  branches,  completed  her  toilet. 

When  ready  to  leave  her  room  Chipie  looked  at  her- 
self in  the  glass,  and  laughed  triumphantly  at  the  sight 
of  her  well-protected  figure  and  general  air  of  substantial 
comfort.  She  tried  to  fancy  Madge  consenting  to  pre- 
sent herself  in  so  practical  an  attire  at  a  time  when  one 
is  supposed  to  appear  "  with  grace  in  every  line  of  dra- 
pery." 


250  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"  But  it  is  only  what  I  deserve,"  she  said  relentlessly 
to  herself.  "This  is  to  be  a  morning  of  expiation,  and 
I  will  meet  it  boldly  !  Madge  would  have  me  don  the 
daintiest  of  my  morning-robes  —  train  and  all  —  for  the 
occasion,  and  upon  my  head  she  would  place  a  woodland 
mossy  hat,  quite  ignoring  the  baptism  which  I'm  sure  to 
get  before  I  leave  the  dewy  depths  of  the  forest." 

She  smiled  with  her  lips,  as  she  crept  noislessly  down- 
stairs ;  but  her  heart  did  nothing  of  the  kind.  She  was 
beginning  to  feel  nervous,  and  was  half  wishing  that  she 
had  not  chosen  this  mode  of  answering  Mr.  Erskine, 
when  a  well-known  step  sounded  on  one  of  the  side- 
paths,  and  presently  the  subject  of  her  thoughts  stood 
before  her.  He  opened  his  watch  and  held  it  up ;  it 
was  just  five  o'clock. 

"  I  trust  that  you  appreciate  my  punctuality,  Miss 
Margrave  ?  " 

He  said  it  with  a  grave  half-smile,  and  Chip ie  thought 
how  differently  the  ceremonious  "  Miss  Margrave "' 
sounded  from  the  "Marghreta"  of  the  previous  day. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  with  an  attempt  to  appear  wholly 
at  ease;  "I'm  sure  that  Grove  would  never  have  ac- 
complished so  mighty  a  deed,  unaided  by  an  alarm- 
bell!" 

The  only  response  was  a  quiet  bow,  and  silence  was 
maintained  until  they  had  passed  down  the  lilac-path 
and  were  turning  towards  the  woods,  when  Mr.  Erskine 
said,  calmly:  — 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  251 

"I  must,  of  course,  follow  my  guide,  being  incapa- 
ble of  taking  the  position  myself.  I  am  totally  igno-r 
rant  of  your  design.'' 

"  Yes,"  Chipie  answered,  rather  demurely,  "  you  are 
very  pardonable,  certainly." 

Again  they  walked  on  in  silence,  the  minds  of  both 
being  equally  absorbed  in  speculation  as  to  the  result 
of  the  early  ramble. 

It  was  occasionally  necessary  for  Mr.  Erskine  to  aid 
Chipie  in  detaching  the  clinging  briers,  which  would, 
notwithstanding  the  defiant  glances  which  she  sent  at 
them,  fasten  their  obstinate  claws  in  her  dress  ;  and  once 
or  twice  they  even  dared  to  clutch  at  her  hat,  so  that 
she  was  obliged  to  stand  meekly  in  front  of  her  com- 
panion, with  upraised  face,  and  submit  to  his  assistance. 

She  had  chosen  an  overgrown  cross-path  because  it 
was  the  shortest  way  to  her  destination,  and  it  finally 
terminated  in  the  ridge-road,  which  Mr.  Erskine  had 
said  was  his  favorite  walk.  They  kept  it  for  some 
minutes,  and  then  turned  into  a  bridle-path.  At  this 
point  Chipie  increased  her  pace,  for  she  was  beginning 
to  feel,  as  she  had  not  felt  before,  the  full  ridiculous- 
ness of  the  affair,  and  she  was  in  nervous  haste  to  have 
it  over.  A  final  turn,  and  they  came  suddenly  out 
from  the  tangle  of  shrubbery,  to  find  themselves  stand- 
ing by  the  brink  of  the  black  pool.  In  all  the  weeks 
that  had  passed  since  Chipie  had  seen  it,  it  had  changed 
almost  beyond  recognition :  an  army  of  cat-tails  stood 


252  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

in  grand  array,  keeping  guard,  while  all  about,  a  royal 
flame  of  color,  waved  the  gorgeous  spikes  of  cardinal 
flowers.  At  any  other  time  Chipie  would  have  gone 
into  ecstasies  over  the  wealth  of  her  favorites  ;  but  now 
she  stood  still  —  unheedful.  Her  companion  did  the 
same,  and  it  was  some  time  before  Chipie  looked  up, 
to  discover  the  effect  of  her  proceeding.  Mr.  Erskine's 
face  was  unmoved  ;  not  a  line  or  a  curve  gave  evidence 
that  a  clew  to  Chipie's  mano3uvre  had  been  caught. 

"Have  you  ever  seen  this  romantic  lakelet  before, 
Mr.  Erskine?"  Chipie  at  length  ventured. 

"  Yes,  a  great  many  times,"  came  the  calm  reply. 

"It  is  an  ugly,  treacherous  place,  is  it  not?"  after 
another  pause. 

M  With  all  this  beauty  ?  "  waving  his  hand  toward 
the  blossoms.  "  Pardon  me,  I  do  not  think  so  !  " 

"But  it  is  such  a  froggy  place,"  continued  Chipie, 
wondering  impatiently  why  her  companion  could  not 
guess  the  truth,  and,  comprehending  her  trying  posi- 
tion, with  his  usual  delicate  intuition,  spare  her  the 
humiliation  of  explanation.  Her  exaggerated  view  of 
the  accident  was  becoming  more  absurd  every  minute 
now ;  but  that  did  not,  by  any  means,  help  to  make  her 
confession  any  easier ;  so,  while  she  was  summoning 
fresh  courage  to  her  aid,  she  said  humbly,  "  The  water 
is  so  black  and  dreadful,  how  can  you  help  thinking  it 
ugly?" 

"Because  I've  never  seen  anything  about  it,  with  the 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  253 

exception  of  a  few  harmless  frogs,  that  I  have  not 
loved,  — loved"  lie  added  earnestly,  "  even  to  these  glo- 
rious red  blossoms,  which,  by  the  way,  I've  been  twice 
on  the  point  of  gathering,  within  the  last  five  days,  for 
yourself." 

"  But,  Mr.  Erskine,  you  "  —  Chipie  stopped  ab- 
ruptly, not  knowing  how  to  break  the  truth  gently 
enough. 

"  Yes,  Miss  Margrave?"  came  the  quiet  interrogation. 

"  You  forget  the  time  —  the  time  you  found  some- 
body in  it — gathering  water-lilies,  you  know?" 

"  On  the  contrary,  nothing  is  fresher  in  my  mind. 
But  did  I  find  her  gathering  lilies?  I  thought  she  was 
gathering  a  convention  of  water-sprites  preparatory  to 
some  mysterious  thaumaturgics." 

"  Mr.  Ersldne  !  " 

In  a  twinkling  the  truth  came  to  Chipie.  She 
moved  a  step  nearer,  that  she  might  sec  the  averted 
face  ;  it  was  turned  persistently  towards  three  careering 
crows  in  the  distance.  At  Chipie's  movement  it  came 
back  to  her,  flashing  with  laughter.  But,  at  the  sight 
of  the  pathetic,  upraised  face,  the  merriment  vanished ; 
a  light  dawned  upon  him.  He  understood  now  what  the 
haughty  reserve  of  those  first  days  signified ;  the  keen 
mortification  which  had  prompted  it,  and  also  the  feel- 
ing which  had  intluenced  her  in  this  last  act. 

After  a  brief  silence  he  said  earnestly  :  — 

"Miss  Chipie,  do  you  think  that  my  first  meeting 


254  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

with  one  whom  I  have  come  to  love  with  all  the 
strength  of  my  nature  can  ever  be  erased  from  my 
memory?"  Chipie  gasped  to  herself.  "My  child," 
advancing  toward  her  with  extended  arms,  "can  you 
not  return  my  love?  —  Marghreta,  tell  me!" 

If  only  Chipie's  reply,  and  the  talk  which  followed, 
could  be  chronicled  !  But  the  birds,  which,  one  by  one, 
had  been  leaving  their  little  beds  and  tuning  their  tiny 
throats  for  their  matin  chorus,  burst  forth  with  such  a 
flood  of  melody  and  praise  that  nothing  could  bo  dis- 
tinguished above  it,  and  by  the  radiant  faces,  alone, 
could  one  guess  at  the  purport  of  the  hour's  com- 
mune. 

After  leaving  the  woods,  as  they  were  Hearing  the 
house,  Chipie  exclaimed,  curiously  :  — 

"  But  you  didn't  tell  me  where,  or  how,  you  iden- 
tified that  poor  little  wretch  of  the  bog  !  " 

"When?  The  second  time  that  I  met  you  as  Miss 
Margrave.  How?  Simply  by  catching  sight  of  a  little 
by-play  between  your  cousin  Grove  and  yourself,  which, 
pardon  me,  I  suppose  I  ought  not  to  have  seen  ;  but  I 
did,  and  immediately  found  an  interpretation  in  the 
frowns  and  expostulatory  glances  which  answered  the 
incorrigible  cousin  Grove's  innuendoes  regarding  Miss 
Chipie's  fondness  for  pond-lilies." 

"  And  how  could  you  assure  me,  after  that,  that  you 
believed  one's  manner  of  accepting  an  absurd  position 
indicatory  of  one's  character?" 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  2$  5 

"  Because  you,  yourself,  helped  to  confirm  my  theory. 
You  plainly  evinced,  upon  the  occasion  in  question,  your 
inability  to  feign;  also,  an  earnestness  of  purpose  and 
a  truthfulness,  which  were  more  than  refreshing  ;  then, 
too,  a  piquant  originality  was  displayed,  which  won  my 
admiration  !  In  short,  you  were  yourself!  " 

By  this  time  Chipie  was  laughing  as  gayly  as  was  her 
companion. 

"  But  just  one  word  for  myself,"  continued  Mr.  Ers- 
kine,  "as  confessions  seem  to  be  the  order  of  the  day. 
In  return  for  your  frank  avowal  of  the  stratagem  re- 
sorted to,  to  prevent  your  friends  from  visiting  the  de- 
spised mere,  let  me  say  that  in  every  instance  you  have 
been  aided  and  abetted  by  your  truly  humble  servant. 
Are  Ave  wholly  at  peace  now  ?  " 

He  took  the  hand  held  towards  him,  and  kept  it  a 
moment  without  speaking ;  then,  placing  in  it  the  car- 
dinals which  he  had  gathered,  he  said  tenderly  :  — 

"  Marghreta, — my  Marghreta, — Ibid  you  a  very 
early  good  morning,  and  at  a  more  civilized  hour  I  may 
come  again,  may  I  not?  " 

lie  lifted  his  hat,  and  with  an  earnest  "God  bless 
you,  child  !  "  left  her. 

As  Chipie  turned  to  go  in  she  hoped  that  she  might 
reach  her  room  unnoticed  ;  but,  as  she  turned  the  corner 
of  the  house,  to  her  dismay  she  came  face  to  face  with 
Mr.  Sturgis,  who,  with  arms  behind  him,  was  walking 
leisurely  up  and  down  the  piazza,  enjoying  his  cigar  and 


256  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

the  morning  freshness.  At  the  sight  of  Chipie  he  threw 
the  cigar  away,  and,  striking  an  attitude  of  astonishment, 
exclaimed  :  — 

"  Well  !  well !  And  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  the 
beauty  of  the  morning  tempted  you  out,  all  by  your- 
self? Why,  in  the  name  of  Aurora,  didn't  you  invite 
your  old  uncle  to  accompany  you  ?  It  isn't  safe  to  start 
off  alone,  in  this  fashion,  my  dear;  no,  no,  it  isn't 
safe  !  " 

"Uncle  Malcolm,  you  really  mustn't  detain  me  a  min- 
ute. Only  look  at  my  poor,  wet  boots  !  I  tremble  for 
the  consequences  ! " 

She  would  have  rushed  past,  but  she  was  intercepted. 

"  Tut !  tut !  Not  a  bit  of  it,  my  dear,  —  not  a  bit  of  it ! 
I  must  find  out  what  it  is  that  is  dazzling  my  poor  vis- 
ion so  ruthlessly.  Is  it  the  posies,  the  eyes,  or  the 
cheeks?  I  declare  'tis  a  wonderful  bit  of  color,  what- 
ever it  is  ;  'tis  a  study  for  an  artist.  Just  stand  here, 
my  dear,  while  I  tell  Kate  to  bring  her  brush  and  pal- 
ette. She  is  up." 

"  Uncle  Malcolm,  I'm  ashamed  of  you  ;  you  are  exhib- 
iting an  unpardonable  curiosity !     Please  make  me  an  - 
apology,  and  let  me  pass  ;  or,  better  still,  let  me  pass, 
and  I  will  take  the  apology  for  granted." 

"Ah,  well,  if  she  won't  confide  her  little  secrets  to 
her  old  uncle  now,  he  will  await  her  pleasure  in  the 
library.  By-by  !  " 

Chipie  sped  in  quickly.     As  she  passed  the    music- 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  257 

room,  the  sound  of  the  guitar  struck  her  ear,  and  Grove's 
clear  tenor  rang  out :  — 

"The  old,  old  story  was  told  again, 
At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning ; 
The  old,  old  story  was  told  again, 
At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning." 

What  did  it  mean?  Had  they  all  been  peeping  over 
her  shoulder  the  previous  evening  while  she  was  pen- 
ning her  note,  or  had  they  possessed  themselves  of  in- 
visible cloaks,  and  followed  in  a  procession  after  her 
this  morning  ? 

She  hurried  on,  momentarily  expecting  to  be  captured 
by  some  hidden  watcher  ;  but  no  one  molested  her.  It 
was  not  until  the  breakfast-bell  rang  that  a  low  knock 
came  upon  her  door,  and  Kate  called  softly,  "Am  I 
barred  out,  Chipie?" 

The  door  was  thrown  open,  and  the  two  girls  con- 
fronted each  other,  Kate  triumphant,  and  Chipie  abashed. 

"Oh,  that  Marplot  Cupid,  —that  Marplot  Cupid!" 
exclaimed  Kate,  speaking  first. 

"Kate,  what  is  the  meaning  of  it?  Why  were  you  all 
up  at  such  an  unheard-of  hour  ?  " 

"  Following  your  Hlustrious  example,  to  be  sure ; 
could  we  do  better  ?  " 

"  But  I  don't  understand  it !     Who  was  up  first  ?  " 

"I  fancy  that  you  were,  dear,"  laughed  Kate,  glee- 
fully. "  Papa  and  Grove  were  awakened  at  an  unusual 


258  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

hour,  by  suspicious  sounds  in  the  hall.  Seizing  their  re- 
volvers, they  started  in  hot  pursuit,  reaching  the  south 
door  just  in  time  to  see  two  figures  disappearing  down 
the  lilac-path.  I  heard  the  commotion,  and  stepped  into 
your  room  to  get  a  sly  peep  from  your  end  "window,  and, 
lo  !  where  were  you  ?  " 

"O  Kate  !  Kate  !  "  cried  Chipie,  "I  didn't  mean  to  do 
it,  really;  but,  as  Madge  and  Walter  said,  'I  couldn't 
help  it!'  Will  you  forgive  me,  Kate?  —  For  truly  I 
didn't  intend  to  end  in  this  every-day  fashion,  when 
we  last  talked  about  our  grand  ambitions !  Say 
that  I'm  not  fickle,  Kate  !  Say  that  you  still  respect 
me  ! " 

In  answer  Kate  caught  her  cousin,  and  spun  about 
in  a  wild  waltz,  and,  when  quite  out  of  breath,  dragged 
her  to  a  seat. 

"My  blessed  girl,  it  is  the  most  delightful  thing  that 
has  happened  this  summer  ;  I  can't  tell  you  how  glad 
I  am,  although  I've  known  all  about  it,  for  weeks  ;  so  it 
isn't  a  bit  of  a  surprise  !  " 

At  breakfast  Mr.  Sturgis  seized  an  opportunity  to 
lean  forward,  and  say,  in  a  remorseful  undertone  :  — 

"Don't  tell  any  one,  niece;  but  I  barely  escaped 
putting  a  bullet  through  Mr.  Erskine's  fine  head  this 
morning!  Saw  him  rushing  along  the  lilac-path  at  a 
most  suspicious  gait,  and  only  recognized  him  at  the 
last  moment.  'Twould  have  been  an  unlucky  shot, 
wouldn't  it,  my  dear  ?  " 


MARPLOT    CUPID.  259 

"It  wouldn't  have  been  nice  for  you,  Uncle  Mal- 
colm," Chipie  replied  amiably. 

When  Madge  bestowed  her  congratulations,  later  in 
the  day,  she  smiled  with  inward  satisfaction,  as  she  grace- 
fully performed  her  part,  and  hoped  that  Chipie  would 
not  feel  that  coals  of  fire  were  being  heaped  upon  her 
head,  upon  recalling  her  own  manner  of  receiving  a 
similar  denouement,  a  few  weeks  previously  She  felt, 
however,  that  it  was  but  just  that  a  slight  counter- 
stroke  should  be  given  upon  the  occasion,  so  she 
concluded  her  prettily  worded  felicitations  by  say- 
ing, with  a  lenient  smile  :  — 

"  And  I  trust  that  you  will  find  immeasurable  en- 
joyment, Chipie  dear,  in  your  new  life,  which  I  am 
confident  that  you  will  fill  charmingly.  Certainly  I 
can't  object  to  the  engagement  because  of  Mr.  Erskine's 
extreme  youth.  Kiss  me,  dear!" 

Chipie  was  amused ;  but  she  would  have  been  far 
more  so,  could  she  have  overheard  the  patronizing 
manner  with  which  the  younger  lovers  treated  her  en- 
gagement the  same  afternoon,  on  the  archery  field. 
Walter  was  tightening  his  bow,  when,  upon  glancing  at 
Madge,  he  observed  a  thoughtful  expression  resting 
upon  her  brow. 

"Madge,  darling,  what  is  the  matter?"  he  exclaimed 
with  becoming  anxiety,  as  he  picked  up  an  arrow  which  • 
had  fallen  from  her  quiver.  . 

"Don't  be  troubled,  Walter,"  Madge   answered  re- 


26O  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

assuringly.  "I  was  only  thinking  how  miserable  I 
should  be  if  you  were  forty  years  ol  ,  dear ! " 

"  Yes ;  but  then  Mr.  Er.skine  doesn't  show  his  age  as 
a  good  many  do.  He  is  dignified,  of  course  ;  but  some 
people  like  that,  you  know  !  " 

"Yes,  I  think  Chipie  does.  But  when  there  is  such 
a  difference  in  age  I  should  think  that  it  would  destroy 
all  the  romance  and  everything,  shouldn't  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  ye.s,  certainly  it  must,"  was  the  confident  re- 
sponse ;  "  and  yet,  they  seem  awfully  happy  somehow  !  " 

"Isn't  it  strange?"  said  Madge,  musingly.  "But, 
as  you  say,  Chipie  seems  perfectly  happy  and  con- 
tented." 

"Well,  Mr.  Erskine  i.s  an  unusual  character,  you 
know,  and  Miss  Chipie  wouldn't  care  a  straw  for  a  young 
fellow  !  She  dubs  us  all  bores." 

The  sage  colloquy  was  broken  in  upon  by  Donald, 
who  bounded  before  the  target,  performing  a  series  of 
gymnastic  feats. 

"What  has  happened,  Donald?"  asked  Madge, 
drawing  an  arrow. 

"  The  great  event  of  the  season .  to  be  sure  ;  excuse 
me,  I  mean  the  second  great  event  !  It's  one  of  the 
jolliest  things,  and  do  you  know,  Madge,  I've  already 
an  invitation  to  make  them — Mr.  Erskine,  I  mean  —  a 
.  visit !  He  has  one  of  the  grandest  old  places  down 
there  in  Baltimore,  and  there's  no  end  of  fun  for  the 
future.  Hurrah !  You  know  that  Mr.  Erskine  and  I 


MARPLOT  CUPID.  263 

were  old  friends  before  any  of  you  ever  saw  him  !  I'm 
ffoins:  to  reward  Chip  for  making  him  my  cousin,  by 
giving  her  such  a  wedding  present  as  she  never  dreamed 
of — that  is,  from  a  minor!" 

"Oh,  what  is  it?"  asked  Winny,  who  had  come  up 
with  Donald. 

"Haven't  thought  it  up  yet,"  said  Donald.  "Must 
sleep  on.it  first;  there's  plenty  of  time.  But,  Win,  I 
know  what  you  could  give  her  that, would  please  her 
more  than  anything  else  you  could  think  of:"  and  he 
drew  Winny  excitedly  aside.  "You  just  make  a  col- 
lection of  all  your  poems, —  that  is,  all  you  consider  up 
to  the  mark, —  beginning  with  those  that  you  wrote 
wdien  you  were  a  little  tot,  and  we'll  have  them  pub- 
lished! How  is  that  for  an  idea?  " 

"Published!"  gasped  Winny,  clasping  her  hands 
rapturously.  "O  Donny,  they  never  could  be  pub- 
lished ;  and,  if  they  were,  nobody  would  read  them  ! " 

"Don't  you  be  so  sure  of  that,  you  humble  little  sea- 
shell  !  The  poems  shall  bs  published,  and  that  ends 
it !  If  the  publishers  don't  know  enough  to  see  what 
stunning  things  they  are,  why,  then  we'll  publish  them 
ourselves  ;  nothing  easier  in  the  world.  I've  often  heard 
of  it ;  and  then,  don't  you  see,  you  could  have  as  many 
as  you  wanted,  to  give  away,  and  there's  a  good  deal  in 
that.  Now,  that  little  piece  you  read  me,  the  other  day, 
about  the  Convent  'Gate,  was  as  good  as  any  thin0"  in  the 
poetry  line  that  I  ever  read  !  " 


264  MARPLOT    CUPID. 

"O  Donny,  I'm  afraid  it  only  sounded  nice  to  you, 
because  I  wrote  it,"  said  Winny,  still  bewildered  by 
the  thrilling  possibility. 

"That  is  a  fine  mistake,  Miss  Win.  If  you  please, 
I'm  not  the  only  one  who  can  distinguish  merit.  Only 
the  other  day,  when  Doctor  Francke  was  here,  mamma 
gave  him  that  piece  to  read,  and  my  I  if  his  nose  didn't 
get  red  before  he  was  half  through,  I  don't  know  what 
red  is !  I  tell  you,  Win,  a  poem  that  will  turn  a 
man's  nose  red  is  the  poem  to  succeed.  But,  look  ! 
there  is  Mr.  Erskine,  on  the  west  balcony." 

"Yes,"  responded  Winny,  shading  the  sun  from  her 
eyes  ;  "  and  isn't  it  dreadful  that  this  is  the  last  day  ?  O 
Donny,  how  splendid  he  is  ;  and  there  is  Chipie  on  the 
balcony,  too.  Oh,  mustn't  she  feel  proud  of  him?" 

"And  mustn't  he  feel  proud  of  Chip?"  answered 
Donald,  eagerly.  "I  tell  you  a  man  has  a  right  to  feel 
proud  when  he  wins  a  girl  like  our  Kate  or  Chip  ! 
No  wonder  he  looks  at  her  this  way  every  time  he 
speaks  ! "  and  Donald  glowered  upon  »vrinny  a  gaze 
which  he  meant  to  express  what  he  had  so  often  re- 
marked in  Mr.  Erskine's  eyes  of  late  :  but  Winny  saw 
only  two  bright,  fierce  boy  eyes,  glaring  as  if  they 
would  annihilate  her. 

"O  Donny,"  she  cried,  with  a  merry  ^eal,  "you 
can't  look  it  right  for  years  and  years.  I  am  so 
glad!  " 

THE     EXD. 


